Chuck vs The Grid
by HighwayStar76
Summary: After getting information on the creator of the Intersect, Chuck goes off grid. As the Chuck closes in on being able to rid himself of the Intersect, he finds that he may have lost himself along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Well, here this is, the sequel to 'Chuck vs. The New Girl'. You don't really need to read that to understand this, but there may a couple of details that seem confusing in the first chapter or two if you haven't, although nothing super important. Also, thanks to TheJusta for his beta work. That man is a time saver, mainly because I don't have to go over this thing four or five times. I enjoyed your reviews on the last story, and I know I will on this one. Standard disclaimer that I, in no way, shape, or form own Chuck. Lastly, this thing is rated T for language and eventual violence. Hope you all enjoy.  
_

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 1

_**July 19, 2010 Outside Las Vegas**_

Chuck was driving as fast as he could. His right leg was bleeding profusely. He had hastily applied his own tourniquet, but it did little to alleviate the pain it was causing him. Chuck looked in the plastic bag on the front seat. All he had was ibuprofen. He took a handful and started chewing on them.

He approached a seedy motel and decided to pull in. He had to get the bullet out of his leg. He limped up to the counter where a sleazy looking man in his forties was standing, eyeing Chuck suspiciously.

"I need a room for the night," Chuck said, slapping five hundred dollars on the counter. The man took his money and handed Chuck a room key. "Also, if you call the cops, I'll have to let them know about the dog fighting ring you got going on every Saturday." Chuck gave him a harsh look before leaving for his room. The man nervously watched Chuck leave the lobby, hoping he did not anger him in some way. Whether it be the wound in his leg, the look in his eyes or his overall demeanor, this stranger was someone who looked like he was not to be fucked with.

Chuck grabbed his backpack, duffle bags, and the plastic bag and went into his room. It had a single bed and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in about five years. Chuck threw his duffle bag and brought the backpack and plastic bag into the bathroom. He took the mirror off the wall, placed it against the toilet and sat on the edge of the bathtub. He pulled out a pair of scissors and made a series of long cuts originating from the bullet hole in his thigh. He ripped opened his pants and took a look at the damage.

It still hurt like all hell, but it wasn't as bad as he thought. The tourniquet had slowed down the blood loss, and it didn't look as if he had nicked an artery. He grabbed the bottle of vodka in the plastic bag and poured it over his wound. It stung like hell. He bit down hard and grabbed some towels off of the rack on wiped up most the blood. He looked at the wound's reflection in the mirror, and he was sure he could see the bullet. He grabbed a pair of pliers from his back pack and poured some alcohol over the tips. He chewed on a few more ibuprofen, took a swig of the vodka to calm his nerves, and went to work.

Five minutes later, the bullet had been removed and his wound was stitched up somewhat. He knew Ellie could do a much better job, but he was satisfied. He didn't bother cleaning up. He wasn't going to be there very long. He picked up the bullet and looked at it.

Chuck was grinning. "You som' bitch Casey. I owe you one now."

***

_**Dec. 23, 2008**_

The Buy More was packed with shoppers picking up last minute gifts. Everyone seemed happy, whether it be the kids who had no school or Big Mike enjoying the amount of money the store was making. However, Chuck Bartowski was not one of them. He sat at the Nerd Herd desk, jaw clenched and wearing a scowl. Something as simple as Christmas shopping seemed to set Chuck off. He was watching these people with a sense of jealousy. What he would give to be able to go Christmas shopping. But no, a normal activity like that was out of the question. He could go, sure, but there was always someone watching him, whether it was in person or on a remote feed. Chuck longed for some sense of freedom, and he knew it was one Christmas present the government wasn't going to get him.

His phone started vibrating on his desk. He looked down and saw Sarah's face smiling up at him. He picked up the phone and clicked 'ignore'. Chuck was now 'together' with Sarah Walker again. He decided that when they got back together he wasn't going to torture himself by trying to have a real relationship. She said she loved him, but he was never sure. After all, he knew nothing about her, except for her stellar career with the CIA. Lying was who she was and what she did. He knew she had to have some sense of control over him, and maybe declaring love for him was the way to accomplish that. The whole spy world just pissed him off. Lies, deception, pain, death. What kind of people would actually want to live like this? He certainly didn't, and he knew Sarah did. That's why he was now taking everything she said with a grain of salt.

Their new relationship wasn't going very well. Sarah was definitely the aggressor now. She was always calling for dates, wanting to spend time together, and have him sleep over. But he told her that he wanted to take things slow. The roles had been reversed. He laughed at the thought of it. Of course, he thought he was pursuing love, and now, he was sure she was pursuing control of him.

Chuck thought back to that night in the hotel room. She said she trusted him, and that she would do anything for him. He wanted to believe it, he desperately did. But ever since Natalie's death, all he could think was that his only road to freedom was by trusting his instincts. His instincts were saying trust no one. Sarah was fighting for the greater good, not him. When they were alone, Sarah prodded here and there, trying to figure out his thoughts, but he was quick to shoot down any questions about his plan.

Chuck and Sarah were spending a decent amount of time together, although it was usually in silence. They mostly just watched movies at his place. Chuck insisted that they be friends first before they began 'dating' again. That's what a normal person in his position would do, he reasoned. He just didn't think it would feel authentic if he went back to Sarah right away. He needed to mourn. After all, Natalie had only been dead for about two and half weeks. Sarah reluctantly agreed, but she was glad that she was at least getting to spend time with him.

His Intersect update happened about a week after Natalie's death. He arrived in Sarah's hotel room for what he thought was a movie or whatever they now did for their cover, but she was just holding a flash drive.

"It's the refresh for the Intersect. You have to watch it," she explained.

Chuck took the drive without speaking, went to her laptop and positioned himself for the update, as well as his fall once it was over. The floor was carpeted, but he didn't think that would be enough so he laid a pillow on the floor where he thought his head would hit. Sarah was watching him curiously, not understanding what he was doing. All he had to do was look at pictures, so what was with the elaborate set up? She was standing behind him against her door, waiting for him to start.

Chuck turned around. "You, ah, might wanna wait in the bathroom or something."

"It's okay," she smiled, "I have these." She pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on.

She watched as Chuck hit the play button and backed away from the computer. She watched as he stood there like a zombie, eyes on the screen. The whole process lasted about 90 seconds. She was totally unprepared for Chuck to fall straight backwards, and let out a cry as she thought he had died somehow. The flash drive that was in the computer was smoking, its contents destroyed.

Chuck remembered Sarah's worried face and watery eyes looking down at him as he regained consciousness. It was brief moments like that when he was sure that Sarah loved him, and that he nearly allowed himself to fall back into the status quo. He also thought about how absurd the idea of him being able to outrun the CIA and NSA was again. 'Can I really stay off the grid and conduct a search for the guy who created the Intersect, all on my own? A search for a guy I know absolutely nothing about, even whether or not he's alive?' Chuck asked himself these questions every day. He was sure the answer was no, but going to Casey or Sarah for help was out of the question. He had to do this himself, but he needed something that would jumpstart his search. Just a whisper about who created the Intersect and Chuck would be gone looking for him.

Back at the Nerd Herd desk, Chuck started going through all the information he had gathered on his whole situation, his plans, his options, like he always did when he was unsure of what to think about everything. He came to the same conclusion he did. Trust no one but yourself. Then his phone started vibrating again. He looked at it, and was surprised that it was Ellie. He decided to answer.

"Hello," Chuck said in a bored voice.

"Well, you certainly sound happy," Ellie teased, hearing the lack of enthusiasm in his greeting.

"Ellie, do you want something? I'm kinda busy at the moment." This was a lie.

"I was wondering if you were going to invite Sarah over for Christmas?"

Chuck sighed. "Umm, yeah, I was. I thought maybe that I'd try to ask her if she wanted to give us another try. She won't turn me down on Christmas, right?"

Ellie gave a squeal of excitement. "Don't worry. I know she will take you back. I've talked to her a little bit. She's anxious to get back together. She was just worried that you weren't ready, and she didn't want to push you away."

"Don't worry El. You'll get the Christmas present I know you're dying for. It's just been hard for me."

Ellie could hear the sadness in his voice. "I know Chuck. Well, I mean, I won't pretend to know how much pain you're in. Just know that I love you and that Sarah loves you, and we only want you to be happy."

'Ha,' Chuck thought, 'my happiness is far from the top of Sarah's priorities.'

"I know. I love you sis. I'll see you later tonight."

"Bye." Ellie hung up.

Chuck took a deep breath and looked around. He spotted a man in a trench coat, a baseball cap, and sunglasses standing in between shelves looking at prepaid phones. Chuck figured the guy was a shoplifter, and being bored, went over to confront the man.

Chuck pretended to be a helping a customer, but he was really keeping an eye on the man. The man reached out to look at another phone when the ring on his hand caused Chuck to flash. He saw images of chemicals, brains, animal testing, an address for a warehouse, and the name Dick Johnson. The man looked up and saw Chuck looking at him. Chuck was wearing a weird expression on his face, and the man eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he really saw what he thought he did. 'No,' Johnson thought, 'impossible. He certainly wouldn't be here.'

"Need any help?" Chuck asked, trying to be a good worker.

"No, thank you," said Johnson. "I think I've found everything I was looking for." He smiled at Chuck, and Chuck gave him a quick one before leaving to find Casey.

Chuck found Casey standing over by the grills. Chuck just shook his head and allowed himself a small smile. Casey was a beast when it came to selling grills. Chuck had no idea why he worked so hard at the Buy More. Maybe it was because he took pride in his work, whatever his work was, or maybe it was because Casey was a natural salesman.

"Casey," said Chuck, "I need a word."

"I'm a little busy, Chuck. Can't you see I'm with a customer?" The 40 something housewife smiled at Casey, clearly more interested in getting Casey's number than a Beastmaster.

"I know, but it's urgent." Chuck raised his eyebrows, hoping Casey would understand.

Casey looked at Chuck, picked up on his message and excused himself from the woman.

"Well, spill it," Casey spat once they got into the break room.

"I flashed on this guy, Dick Johnson. I think it's a fake name. But regardless, I think he's developing some sort of neurotoxin. It's like nothing we have ever seen before. There was very little data on it, except for some testing videos on animals that I would rather forget. Here's the address." He handed Casey a piece of paper with address.

"Alright, let's go to Castle to figure out what Beckman wants us to do."

Casey opened the secret passage to Castle, and Chuck quickly followed him out of the Buy More.

***

After the briefing with Beckman, it was decided that Dick Johnson was a priority and needed to be dealt with quickly. Sarah and Casey would go to the address Chuck had provided and would attempt to apprehend him. They would do so cautiously, so as not to accidentally release the neurotoxin. There wasn't much intel on it, so they didn't know what it would do or how proliferate and virulent it was. Chuck was going as well, but he would stay in the van, hoping to flash on something that could tell them what they were up against.

"Alright," said Sarah, "No matter what happens Chuck, you stay in the van. If something goes bad, you drive away and report to Beckman." She always said this, but he never seemed to listen, as evidenced by his stupid heroics time after time.

"Got it," Chuck said, sounding bored, "Run from danger." He gave them a nod before closing the van door in their faces. He was tired of always being told to run. He thought he had proven that he could handle himself if the situation required it. Chuck got in the back of the van, put on his headset and started watching the monitors, Casey's cam showing him that he and Sarah were directly outside the warehouse.

***

Dick Johnson was in his makeshift laboratory, going over a few calculations on his computer. He was smiling as he looked at the results. He was finishing up his report on his new nerve agent. It stopped all cognitive functions in about 30 seconds after inhalation, and after three minutes, the subject was dead. It also left no biological traces, so no one would suspect foul play. The autopsies he had performed on his test subjects seemed to indicate that the cause of death was a heart attack, not from a toxin. He was practically giddy about all of this. He would be able to sell this toxin and its formula to the highest bidder, and once he had done that, he would live the rest of his life on some island away from everything.

Just as he was about to make a call announcing that he was finished, the alarms he had set up around the warehouse went off. He pulled up security feeds and saw two agents making their way towards his area.

"No," he muttered, "No. I was so close."

He couldn't understand how he was found. He hadn't left the warehouse in almost two weeks. He made a brief appearance at a Buy More today to buy a phone, and grab a bite to eat in the plaza.

'The Buy More,' he thought, 'That man who was looking at me funny. Maybe the rumors were true.'

He pulled up the security feed for around the compound and saw the van. A small smile found formed on his face.

'My toxin may be done, but I think the Intersect will sell just as well,' he thought.

Johnson grabbed a detonator that was sitting by his computer. He then armed all of the explosives he had placed around the warehouse. He didn't trust his buyers and thought they might come looking for him and his work, so he rigged the place to blow at any moment. He quickly left out the back and started making his way towards the black van on the other side of the building.

***

Casey entered the lab. He looked around at all the lab animals that were dead or in cages. The smell of the rotting animals made him gag. Sarah was breathing through her mouth at steady intervals, trying her best not the throw up.

Casey started looking around for a sign of Dick Johnson. He didn't appear to be there. Perhaps the best plan was to wait and ambush him. He started walking around, moving this way and that to allow Chuck to get a good look at everything. He was more focused on finding a good spot to set up that ambush, that he didn't see the explosives that were placed just two feet to his left. Luckily, Chuck was able see and flash on them.

"Casey! Sarah!" was frantically yelled into their ears. "He's wired the place to blow. Get out of there!"

***

Dick Johnson had ascertained that he had enough clearance from the warehouse and pressed the detonator. The explosion was larger and louder than he expected, causing him to lose his purposeful stride as he made his way to the van.

***

The explosion caused the screens to go black and Chuck to have to rip off the headset he was wearing. He thought he might have blown out his eardrums, but a quick inspection found that he wasn't oozing from his ears. They were just ringing very badly. He got a handgun out of the armory and stuck in the back of his pants, pulling his shirt over top of it. He didn't care about what Sarah said, he was going to find his team.

Once he opened the van door, however, he found himself face to face with a Colt .45. Dick Johnson was smiling.

"Would you please drive to this address?" he said as he handed Chuck a piece of paper. "I was looking forward to selling my newest creation, but I think you'll do just fine." Dick Johnson entered the van.

***

Amidst the rubble in the warehouse, two figures slowly started to stand up. Casey was taking shallow breaths. He was sure he had at least bruised ribs, hopefully not anything worse. There was a long gash on the side of his face, and he was covered in dust. Sarah got up and was a little woozy. She hit her head on the wall when the place exploded. She was banged up, but nothing life threatening. She also looked like someone hit in the face by one of those comically large powder applicators.

"You okay?" she asked Casey, looking over at him.

"Yeah," he groaned back. "A little beat up, but I've been worse."

They both made their way outside the damaged building and found that Chuck was gone. Sarah pulled out her GPS locator to see where he was.

"Looks like the idiot finally listened," said Casey, a little annoyed that he didn't have a ride.

"I don't think so," retorted Sarah. "He's out of range. I have no idea where he is."

They both took off running so that Sarah could find a car for them to 'borrow'.

***

Outside of the city limits, Dick Johnson had Chuck pull up to a farmhouse. It looked abandoned, like no one had lived there in years.

Chuck was certain Sarah and Casey were still alive. Just something in his gut knew they were. He realized he'd been doing this long enough to know he was right, and the thought scared him a little.

"Out," said Johnson, still smiling and pointing his gun at Chuck. He hadn't frisked Chuck or had him take off his watch.

'This guy is really incompetent at thug work,' thought Chuck. For the first time in his life, he was pretty sure this was a situation that he could handle. This guy was a scientist, not a spy, and Chuck knew it.

"Into the barn," said Johnson, pointing at it with his gun.

Chuck led them into the barn, which was devoid of anything farm related. There was straw and hay all over the floor, but the stalls were empty. Johnson found a chair at work bench and told Chuck to sit down. Chuck obliged.

"So, you are the one, huh?" said Johnson. He was still smiling.

"What?" asked Chuck, not quite sure what the man was talking about.

"Here, I'll let you prove it to me." He pulled off his glasses to show his eyes, and grimaced as he did so. The whites of his eyes were completely red, like the blood vessels had all exploded and never healed. His pupils were completely dilated and were unable to adjust to the new amount the light the sunglasses had blocked out.

When Chuck looked at him, he felt his brain go through a flash. The images of the Intersect files, a death certificate, and a dossier with the code name Gryphon on it ran across his mind. Johnson was smiling his biggest smile yet as he watched Chuck flash.

"You," said Chuck, completely surprised. "You created the Intersect."

Johnson just grinned at Chuck as he put his sunglasses back on. "Well, I was just one of many to work on the Intersect." Suddenly his voice turned bitter. "But I was the only one lucky enough to have been used as a guinea pig to see whether a human could absorb its data. The test went horribly wrong, and I wound up in a coma for a week. We told them that it was not possible for one human to absorb the data, but they were intent on having agents download the data. They had us either killed or jailed if we spoke up, so I went off grid and decided to work for the dollar, not the science. I think one other was able to get out. I've heard rumors of them trying it on many other agents. Most died or simply lost their mind. I guess something about my brain structure allowed me to remain sane. But permanent damage was done to my eyes, as you saw."

Chuck was shocked, just shocked. He quickly lost all sense of his situation. This man may be the one who could help release from his curse. He had to find out more, but Johnson continued to talk.

"There have been rumors floating around that a human Intersect was currently running around stopping all sorts of unspeakable acts of evil. I must say I was skeptical at first. But meeting you, and knowing what you are, I must say I'm honored. You're truly one in a million. You need to be studied so we can see why you were able to survive and have your 'flashes'."

Johnson's tone had totally changed from that of mad scientist creating a weapon to sell for money to a scientist ready to make the breakthrough of his career and win a Nobel Prize. Chuck figured he could use this to his advantage.

"I'd love to know what is happening to me. Could you show me, or would the other man who escaped be able to help more?"

"Ah, yes, Orion." Chuck went through a small flash. A dossier on Orion and the Intersect appeared, but that was it. No name, no address, no pictures. Just a files saying he worked on the Intersect.

"Orion?" asked Chuck. "Like Orion's belt?"

Johnson laughed. "He was the one who was responsible for the encoding process and how it affects the brain."

"So he'd know how to remove Intersect files? I mean, if data was corrupted or inaccurate?" Chuck tried not to seem too anxious, but he was dying to know.

"Yes, I believe he would. He was a brilliant man. No one knows what became of him. He faked his death and has been off the grid ever since." Johnson was pacing back and forth. Chuck could see he was nervous. "I'd love to study you. I would. But I am tired of that life. I just want money and a beach to sit on. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to sell you. It won't be pleasant for you, I know, but I'm in this for myself."

During his whole speech, Chuck was moving slowly forward as he wanted to grab his gun without being noticed. He was leaning forward in his chair and finally was able to get his hand around the handle of the gun. Sounds of a car screeching to a halt outside could be heard. Johnson made his way over to the window to see who it was but was cut down by three bullets to the back.

Chuck was standing up by his chair when Casey and Sarah entered, both carrying assault rifles. They quickly took in the sight of Chuck standing in front of the chair, arms outstretched holding a gun, and the body lying dead on the floor. Sarah looked like she was ready to cry, while Casey was a little impressed.

"Bartowski, where'd you get that gun?" he asked.

"I took it from the van. When the bomb went off, I grabbed it and went to find you guys. But he," Chuck pointed to Johnson, "found me first. He drove me here. He's no spy, just a scientist. He was nervous and bumbling. He didn't frisk me or anything. Then when you guys came up, he went to the window, and I made my move. Here." He handed Casey the gun.

Sarah was surprised by how unemotional Chuck was about the whole situation. It scared her. What was happening to Chuck?

***

"Well, while we'd have preferred to take Mr. Johnson alive to see who he was selling his neurotoxin to, at least his research was destroyed. Now, is there anything else?" General Beckman was looking at the team located in Castle. Casey and Sarah looked at Chuck, since he was responsible for pretty much the entire success of the mission.

Chuck contemplated telling her about Gryphon and Orion, but decided to not broach the subject. This was the information he needed to get the Intersect out of his head, and he didn't believe that Beckman was going to give it to him. So Chuck just shook his head.

"In that case, Major Casey has a gift for you Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck looked at Casey in surprise and even Sarah was somewhat curious.

"Merry Christmas Chuck." Beckman's screen went black.

"Here," said Casey, handing Chuck an envelope. "It's a paycheck. Don't expect them all to be like this. You're being paid on a mission by mission basis. This one takes into account a lot of your previous work." He gave Chuck a pat on the shoulder before heading up the stairs and out of Castle.

Chuck opened the envelope and peaked inside. "Whoa!" exclaimed Chuck. This, on top of what he had in his savings account, would be enough for him survive off grid for awhile as he searched for Orion. Chuck couldn't believe his luck. He got the two most important pieces he needed in order to make his break. It was almost as if fate wanted him to get the Intersect out of his head. He's grin was huge and genuine.

"That good, huh?"

Chuck looked up and saw Sarah looking at him, smiling. He totally forgot she was there, being lost in his thoughts of freedom. Then another thought hit him. They were supposed to get back together on Christmas, which was a little over a day away. There was no way he could make a break for it once they were back together. Between work, the cover dates, the missions, he'd hardly ever be alone. He was going to have to make his move tomorrow.

"What? Oh, yeah, I mean, yeah, it's good. Now I can afford to get you something for Christmas." He was grinning at her as he stored the check safely into his pocket.

"Chuck, you don't have to get me anything," Sarah protested.

"Well, it'd look pretty bad if I get my new girlfriend nothing when she comes over on Christmas, so yeah, I'm gonna have to." He reached out to take her hand.

"Are you sure you're ready to get back together?" Sarah asked, not wanting to sound too hopeful but was internally happy that they would be back together.

"Yeah, I am. I mean, it's been tough." She squeezed his hand to let him know she was there for him. He smiled. "But I'm ready."

Sarah was smiling, but then her smile broke. "What am I going to get you?" She was never good at getting gifts for people mainly because she never had anyone she cared that much about to buy them anything.

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Chuck joked while giving her the eyebrow dance.

"Hmmm," Sarah smirked, "I'm not sure I'm feeling that generous."

They both started laughing and made their way to her Porsche. Sarah had been nervous about Chuck's lack of response after killing Dick Johnson, but she was happy he was still the same funny and lively Chuck. He said he was trying to be Chuck, but that sometimes Carmichael would take over. 'On missions, he must be in Carmichael mode all the time, and when not on missions, he's Chuck,' she thought.

Sarah's Porsche pulled in next to Ellie's car. Chuck was looking at her, but she couldn't get a read on his thoughts.

"Well, I guess this my stop."

"Yeah." Sarah replied lamely. An awkward silence filled the car. Sarah finally spoke up. "Hey, you wanna do something tomorrow after work?"

"Umm," Chuck said, his brows furrowed in thought. "You know what, I can't. I'm working a double, then I gotta go to the bank and the mall, and then I'm the Nerd Herd on call guy tomorrow night."

"But it is Christmas Eve tomorrow," Sarah retorted indignantly. She wanted to see him tomorrow and every day after that.

"Yeah, which means parent's trying to assemble electronics are going to be calling wanting to make sure everything is in perfect working order. It was a draw and I got the short stick this year."

Sarah made a pouty face, and Chuck just smiled. He leaned in, but hesitated for a moment. This was going to be there last kiss for a long time, maybe ever. His lips finally met hers. It started out slow, but pretty soon, he had his hand on her neck pulling her closer and she had her hands in his hair, not ever wanting to let go. Before it became a full blown make out session, Chuck pulled away. He looked at Sarah, who was red faced and had a hungry gleam in her eye. He smiled at her again and then stepped out of the car.

He bent to look in her window. "Good-bye Sarah."

She was just smiling at him, not really picking up the significance he was carrying in his voice. She was lost in his eyes, and within that last kiss. He turned to leave, but quickly turned back around.

"Oh, yeah. Be sure to act surprised on Christmas when I ask if you want to get back together. You're not supposed to know."

"Don't worry. I'll be surprised." She watched happily as he strode towards his apartment. She was finally getting back together with Chuck. Maybe she would actually enjoy Christmas for once.

'Yep, Sarah,' he thought sadly, making his way to the apartment, 'Surprised is definitely one thing you will be.'


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So sorry about the long wait between chapters. Life has kicked into high gear, keeping me far busier than I am liking. Anyway, I enjoyed the reviews for the first chapter. I decided to split this chapter up because it was getting really, really long. So the next one should be up in a few days, just need to polish it up a little. Big thanks to TheJusta for the beta work. Any mistakes are still mine. Standard disclaimers about me not owning Chuck still apply._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 2

**_July 19, 2010 Seedy Las Vegas Hotel_**

Chuck pocketed the bullet. He knew he had to return it to Casey, one way or another. Then a thought hit him. Casey had been waiting for him, with a whole bunch of NSA goons. It had been a set up. They were waiting for him. Good thing for Chuck he was always being extra careful, especially after what had happened in Charlottesville. He shook his mind to rid himself of those thoughts. Too painful, too recent, and more of a reason to find Orion and end this madness. Someone must have found out about his connection with Roy, and that's how he was set up. If they knew Roy was helping him, then Chuck had to warn him. He pulled out his sat phone and called him.

"Hello," Roy said groggily. He sounded asleep.

"Roy, it's Chuck. That tip you gave me was bogus. It was a set up. There was an NSA team waiting for me. I managed to escape, but I have even more blood on my hands." Chuck was wallowing in self pity. Three more lives he ended in the pursuit of his freedom. Would the bloodshed ever end?

"Chuck, wait, what are you talking about?" Roy sounded alert, and somewhat panicked.

"Either your friend gave you up or Casey figured it out. Either way, you have to get out of there. I'm sure they're going to be coming for you for helping me."

"Where are you? Me and Lily will come to you. As much as she hates to admit it, I think she is starting to care about you." Chuck laughed a bit at this.

"I'm in some shithole outside Las Vegas. You'll need a new car and everything. I'm sure they know all about you."

"Don't worry Chuck. I'm still ready to go off grid. Meet us where we first met in about 12 hours."

"Alright. I need to catch a few hours sleep before I head out. I feel dead on my feet."

***

_**Dec. 24, 2008 Burbank  
**_

The alarm clock on Chuck's nightstand was beeping loudly. Chuck quickly shut it off. Even though he was up late planning his escape and got very little sleep, he woke up with a lot of energy. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat there for a few minutes. 'Tonight's the night' he thought. 'I'm going to do this.' He took a deep breath, then got up and went to the bathroom for a shower.

He finished quickly, too excited to enjoy the feel of the hot water on his body. He looked at his alarm clock. It read 7:15 am. He grabbed his phone and called Morgan.

"Hello?" Morgan mumbled. He sounded like Chuck had waked him up.

"Hey, Morgan, you want me to stop by and pick you up for work?"

"Umm, yeah, I guess. How come you don't do that more often?" Morgan actually sounded hurt that this was one of the few times Chuck called and offered to pick him up.

"I don't know," said Chuck honestly. "Usually I'm too tired to get up earlier enough to get you."

"I hear you, buddy. Sleep is a man's best friend."

"See you in a little bit Morgan," Chuck hung up.

Chuck tried to remember Ellie and Awesome's work schedule as he got dressed. He was sure that they were both working this morning and afternoon so that they could have tomorrow off. He had already told them he was going to be working all day and probably most of the night, so they should have no reason to come into his room. With that thought in mind, he took the photo of him and Sarah from his nightstand and removed it. He placed a note in its place, and then put it face down.

Chuck then went to his computer to type his farewell e-mails but then decided he would rather write his goodbye letters by hand. He grabbed a couple pieces of paper and took out a pen. He had two letters to write. Ellie's was hard because there was so much he wanted to tell, but couldn't. It took him almost ten minutes, and he only had about a paragraph. It was too hard to continue. Sarah's letter was easy because he could be honest with her. He then went over to his bed. He pretended to be tying his shoes, but he was really slipping the two letters in between his mattress. Chuck gave his room one last glance and then went out the Morgan door for the last time.

***

As usual, the Buy More was packed with shoppers, what with being Christmas Eve. 'Man,' Chuck thought, 'this means the mall is going to be like ten times worse.' That was about the only thing that seemed to dampen his mood. He had been sitting at the Nerd Herd desk all morning with a stupid half grin on his face. Something about what he knew he was doing was exciting to him. He was finally taking control of his life. But as always, doubt started to seep into his brain.

'You really think you can outrun the NSA and CIA?' asked doubtful Chuck.

'Yeah, I think if I can go the first week without being caught I'll be good,' replied hopeful Chuck.

'You know if you get caught, it's a bunker or a bullet that awaits you?'

'It's that either way when this is over. My plan will allow me to live a normal life.'

'If you think you can beat the odds, go for it, but I won't say I told you so when you get caught.'

'I won't get caught, and I'll free myself. You'll see.'

This debate was common for Chuck ever since he planned to run. Every time he thought he could actually pull it off, a nagging reminder told him it was impossible. But Chuck had finally put his foot down. He was running and he was running tonight.

His phone vibrating caused him to break his thoughts. He looked down and Sarah's smiling face looked up at him. He ran his fingers through his hair before answering.

"Hey, Sarah, what's going on?"

"Oh nothing," replied Sarah. She sounded bored. "I was wondering if you were going to stop by and have lunch."

"Oh, umm, I can't. I gotta go to the bank and cash my check, you know, pull some money out. I need to buy a few last minute gifts for everyone."

"Hmpf." Chuck actually smiled at her disappointed noise. "I really wanted to see you today."

"I know, me too. But with the holidays things are a little hectic."

"I know." She definitely sounded disappointed. "What time should I stop by tomorrow morning?"

"Umm, 8:00 should be good."

"Cool. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Later."

Chuck sighed. He was most assuredly going to miss the sound of her voice. A glance down at his watch told him it was almost noon, which was when his lunch break started. He grabbed his briefcase, which held his new identity, and made his way to the Herder.

The bank was what he was most nervous about. He needed cash. But he wasn't sure that the bank was going to let him just cash the large check he had and leave with the money. It wasn't too busy when he got there, for which he was thankful. He approached a young female teller and asked her if he could cash his check.

"Umm, I'm not sure we're supposed to hand out this large an amount, sir. Maybe I should get the manager."

"No," Chuck said nervously. "Look, I need the cash. Fast. Please, I'm sure the bank has plenty in its vault and can afford to do this. Please, just put it in this briefcase. Small bills, non-sequential." He was pleading with the teller.

The teller looked at the fear and desperation in his eyes. 'Okay,' she told her herself, 'this must be to pay a ransom of some sort. And the check is from the government. Better just do what he says.'

Ten minutes later the teller appeared carrying his briefcase. He thanked her and made his way to the Herder. He opened the briefcase, saw the money and let out a sigh of relief. He quickly made his way the Buy More and took up his post behind the Nerd Herd desk. 'Just a few more hours,' he told himself.

Chuck was becoming bored. The day was dragging and he was anxious for night to arrive. He was involved in a mean game of Tetris on his computer when the bell dinged. He looked up and was surprised to find Sarah standing in front of him, holding a couple of sandwiches. She was smiling brightly.

"What, ah, what are you doing here?" Chuck asked, his mind racing. 'Does she know about the cash?' he thought.

"Oh," said Sarah, a little hurt by his reaction to seeing her, "Well, I knew you didn't have time for lunch, and this was my break time, so I thought I would bring you something to eat," Sarah finished softly.

Chuck just grinned, relieved that she suspected nothing. "Always looking out for me, aren't you?"

"Well, it is my job," she smiled back. "Wanna go in the break room and eat these?"

"Umm..." Chuck started. He really didn't want to the leave the briefcase currently by his legs. And he couldn't bring it with him; that would look suspicious. "Why don't we stay here?"

"Well, where am I supposed to sit?" Sarah asked him, wondering why he didn't want to get away from work.

"Right here," said Chuck, backing away from the desk and slapping his lap.

Normally, Sarah would have said no. But the idea of sitting on Chuck's lap seemed so inviting that she couldn't help herself. So for 20 minutes, they sat there joking, eating, and laughing at certain customers' predicaments. Casey walked by a few times, giving them both dirty looks, but they ignored him. Finally, Sarah declared her break was over and stood up.

"See you tomorrow," she said happily as she bent down and gave him a kiss. Even though he was expecting it, it still managed to take his breath away. He watched her as she left the store. She turned around right before she was out the door and gave him a little wave. Even something as simple as that still made his heart skip a beat. 'Get your head in the game,' he told himself, which caused him to shake his head like a dog shaking away water.

Over the next several hours, Chuck waited patiently behind the Nerd Herd desk. He never left it once, not even to go to the bathroom. He was too afraid someone would take his briefcase. Finally, the time came to close the store. As he was getting ready to go to his car, Casey approached him. Thinking this had something to do with him, Sarah and lunch, Chuck waited for the verbal insults to begin.

"Bartowksi," Casey said loudly, "You want to carpool home?"

"Oh," responded Chuck, surprised. "I can't. I gotta go the mall and pick up some last minute gifts. Then I have to come back here and wrap them. Plus, I'm the Nerd Herd on call tonight. So I don't see myself getting home for awhile."

Casey eyed him for a second before grunting and leaving. Chuck sighed as he watched Casey get into his Crown Vic. He was praying that since it was Christmas Eve, both Casey and Sarah wouldn't be so diligent in their surveillance duties. I mean, who really expected Chuck to run, on Christmas Eve no less.

Chuck slowly made his way through the vast amount of traffic that seemed to be on the roadway and into the mall parking lot. He was still wearing his Nerd Herd attire, complete with his briefcase, which caused a few glances to be thrown his way, but he didn't mind. When he entered the mall, he just shook his head. 'Who waits until now to buy Christmas presents?' he asked himself incredulously.

Chuck made his way to a clothing store first. He normally would have been a little more picky about his clothes, but he knew looking fashionable wasn't his top priority. He bought himself a little bit of everything. T-shirts, sweatshirts, button up shirts, polo's, jeans, shorts, khakis, sweatpants, socks, and boxers, you name it, he was buying it. He wanted to give himself a couple weeks worth of clothes. He would pick up some here and there, but not so much that he had too many to carry around.

The cashier looked a little surprised by the amount he had, but also by the fact that he managed to pay in cash. She looked at him, scrutinizing his face. She wondered whether she should call the police about this man. He didn't look like a criminal, but it was hard to tell these days.

"For my nieces and nephews," Chuck said as he caught the lady eyeing him with a scowl on her face. "I totally forgot, and I'll never hear the end of it from my family if I don't get anything for them."

The cashier smiled at him, apparently believing his story. Chuck heaved a huge internal sigh of relief.

He also picked up a piece of luggage, a set of clippers and shears for his hair, a couple of prepaid phones, stocking hat, gloves, a coat, heavy duty shoes, and a pair of sunglasses right out of Beverly Hills Cop Part II. He was heading north to start with and this time of year it was cold up north. Chuck also drained his savings account via the many ATM machines that were placed conveniently around the mall. After a few hours, and right before closing, Chuck left the mall with many bags and made his way back to his car.

***

**_Dec. 25 2008 Just After Midnight_**

Chuck quickly made his way back the Buy More. He took the bags and his briefcase in the store and into the home theater room. He started cutting and ripping off tags, packing the clothes hastily into the suitcase. Once he had everything secure, he felt around the table looking for Casey's switch. He found it, flipped it and a compartment on the table opened. There were a couple of 9mms with silencers attached and magazines of bullets. There were also tranquilizers and the device Sarah used to pick locks. Chuck grabbed the guns and a few mags, as well as some tranquilizers and lock pick gizmo. He placed them into the suitcase that already housed his clothes.

Once everything was packed away, Chuck got ready to leave. He was carrying the luggage piece and his briefcase. If they were watching the cameras, they knew what he was doing and would be waiting for him. If they were just monitoring his position, they'd know it would look like he got a call. He slowly made his way out the back door and found no SWAT team waiting for him.

He let out a sigh of relief and made his way the Nerd Herder. He got in and drove. He wasn't quite sure where he was going to go. He wanted to find a hotel with an underground parking lot, but he wasn't sure if he could actually face one of those. After driving around for 20 minutes, he found what he was looking for. Another car in front of him pulled into the same lot. 'Even better,' thought Chuck.

Chuck timed up his entrance into the elevator with the businessman he had followed into the parking area. The man was on his phone, sounding important, and took no notice of Chuck. Chuck smiled as he deftly removed his watch and slid it into the unknowing man's coat. 'Sorry buddy,' Chuck said to himself. He actually cracked a grin at the surprise that the man was going to get tomorrow morning.

Chuck exited the elevator on the third floor and then walked down the stairs into the garage. He quickly found his car and opened up the luggage he packed. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. He started to strip off all his clothes. He wasn't sure if they bugged his clothes but he wouldn't put anything past Casey. He quickly put on a new pair of boxers, socks, jeans, a button up shirt and his new shoes. He moved around a little to get a feel for all the new clothes.

He then took his wallet and emptied everything out but his money. All his credit cards and IDs went into the work pants, which, along with the rest of his Nerd Herd attire, wound up in the trunk of the Herder. He then got out the manila folder that contained his new ID. He looked at it and saw Chuck Finley. It was pretty much Chuck's stats, but with a few things changed here and there. He also had a social security card, a driver's license, and a passport. The man Chuck got this from also gave Chuck Finley a history. He had a GED, some community college credits, a work history, and some bank statements. Chuck looked at the picture. It was one of him from college, complete with a full beard. He laughed at himself. He remembered losing a bet to Bryce about Star Trek trivia, and the result was he couldn't shave for a month. He actually could grow a decent beard but it was always too itchy for his tastes. 'Tough shit now,' he told himself.

He filled his wallet with his new identity, along with the picture of him and Sarah that he took from his house. He took the silencer off the gun, placed the silencer in the luggage and put the gun in the back of his pants. He would always be vigilant now. He would be ready for anything, and he would do what was necessary if it came to that.

He grabbed his keys and phone and threw them in the glove box. He locked the doors and stepped away from the Herder with his suitcase and briefcase in hand. He knew he couldn't walk around carrying those, so he got out the lock picker. He looked around for a car he liked. He found a blue 2000 Ford Mustang. He stuck the lock picker in the door lock and it clicked. He smiled. He opened the door and put his belongings in the passenger seat. He took a seat and saw with relief that it was an automatic transmission. Chuck wasn't the greatest at driving a stick. He was sure he'd seen Sarah use the lock picker to start a car, so he gave a shot. He stuck it in the ignition, and sure enough, the car roared to life.

Chuck took a deep breath. "Here we go," he told himself.

Chuck took the Mustang out of the garage. It was 1:00 am. He figured he would have seven hours on Casey and Sarah, since she wasn't coming over until 8:00 am. He also had another little plan of misdirection ahead to give himself even more time to get ahead of Casey and Sarah. 'This will work,' he told himself.

***

Casey was sitting in his apartment. He took one last look at Bartowski's GPS location. He was currently at some hotel, not having moved for awhile. 'Must be a big job,' Casey thought and allowed a large yawn to escape. Casey fell asleep in his chair and was unable to notice that Chuck's GPS hadn't moved for some time.

***

Sarah was lying in bed, unable to sleep. For the first time in her life, she was excited that tomorrow was Christmas. She tried to fall asleep but thinking about Chuck made it nearly impossible. She rolled over and looked at the clock. It read 1:30 am. She really wished it could go faster because all she wanted was to give Chuck his present.

***

Chuck was on the I-5 and heading north. He rolled down the windows as he went. He felt like yelling he was so happy. He knew that since nothing stopped him tonight that he would definitely be able to find Orion and get the Intersect out of his head. He turned on the radio and started singing along as he drove into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Well, here is the latest chapter. It was originally supposed to go with the last one, but together it was really just too long, so I split them. Thanks for the reviews. I love reading whether people enjoyed it or really hated it. Either way, it's nice to know my writing manages to elicit some type of response from people. Also, big thanks to the TheJusta for his continued beta work. He manages to make my most incoherent ramblings understandable. Not sure when the next chapter will be up after this, but hopefully just a few days. I got some free time this weekend, so I'll probably write some. I hope you to continue to enjoy and review._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 3

**_Dec. 25, 2008 Somewhere North of LA_**

It was approaching 3:00 am and Chuck decided to pull into a truck stop. The car he was driving was stolen, so he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it for very long. He parked the car, and got out. He grabbed his suitcase and briefcase and made his way to the bathroom. He opened the suitcase and got out the two prepaid phones he had purchased. He programmed the first phone to call the second phone. Then he programmed the second phone to call Casey when he called it. Chuck decided to send it to an address in Arizona, figuring that would throw him off his trail even more.

Chuck gathered his things and made his way to the restaurant, which thankfully was open all night. He figured he would get some coffee to liven himself up a bit, as well as get a box and have the restaurant mail the phone for him.

"Hey there sweetie," said the motherly waitress as he walked in, "Take a seat and I'll be right over." She smiled at Chuck as he took a seat in a booth, placing the items he was carrying under the table. He stared out the window, dreading the fact that he was going to have to hitch a ride with some stranger. He was not looking forward to that but it needed to be done.

"What can I get for you?" asked the waitress, whose name tag read Pam.

"Umm, I guess some coffee, and a little box if you have one. I need to mail a package."

"Here you go," she said pouring the coffee, "and I'll get that box for you. You sure you don't want any food?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind some scrambled eggs and toast, now that I think about it." Chuck just realized how hungry he was. That sandwich with Sarah on his lap felt so long ago. Chuck looked around the restaurant and saw how dead it was. It appeared that Pam and a cook were the only people working. There were a couple of truckers sitting at the counter talking animatedly, obviously swapping stories of the road.

Pam brought out his food and Chuck gave her the package with the second phone, asking her if she would mail it for him. She obliged and he devoured his food with indecent speed. He ate so quickly that he barely registered the fact that it was delicious. After sitting in the booth for about a half hour sipping coffee, Chuck wondered whether he should take the car he borrowed a little further, not having seen any truckers other than the two at the counter. Just as he was getting ready to leave, the two men at the counter stood to leave. The younger looking one said his goodbyes first, threw some money on the counter and left. The older one took out his wallet, laid some money down, and slowly started to leave. He passed by Chuck, who was looking out the window trying to remain inconspicuous, but he stopped.

"Hey, kid." Chuck looked back and saw the man looking at him. He was wearing jeans and a wool coat. He was going bald, but still had a decent amount of hair. His beard looked about three days old.

"Umm, yeah?" Chuck asked nervously.

"You need a ride?" the man asked. He smiled at Chuck. The man had seen enough hitchhikers in his day to spot one.

"How can you tell?" asked Chuck, dumbfounded.

"Well, you didn't bring a truck in here, and those," he pointed at Chuck's belongings, "make it pretty obvious." He smiled at Chuck. "I promise I ain't no crazy trucker who wants to harvest your skin or anything. It's Christmas and you looked like you needed a ride, so I thought I'd offer." He extended his hand. "The name's Roy."

Chuck took his hand. "Chuck." Chuck dropped some cash onto the table, grabbed his things, and followed Roy to his truck. Chuck put his things onto the bed Roy kept in his cab, and settled into the front seat. For about 45 minutes, they rode in an awkward silence. Chuck really didn't know what to say and Roy just seemed happy to have company. It was Roy who spoke up first.

"So, where are you heading?"

"North."

"Any place in particular?"

"No, just north."

"Well, Eugene is as far north as I go."

"That sounds fine."

"You aren't really dressed for that kinda weather up there. You got a coat and hat, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's all in my luggage."

"Alright."

After a few more minutes silence, Roy spoke up again.

"So, what are you running from?" He glanced over at Chuck and saw his nervous reaction.

"Umm, me? What makes you think I'm running?"

Roy gave Chuck a look that said 'Are you kidding me?'

"Well, it's Christmas for one thing. You have to have a family, and you just don't seem the sort that would be out here if you didn't have to be."

Chuck shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Well, we got awhile before we get to Eugene and I would love to hear all about it." Roy actually was intrigued.

"Well, it's like this," Chuck began. "I need to find someone. This guy is the only one who can help me. My situation back home, well, it's not been very fun. Don't get me wrong, I have a loving family and friends. They're part of the reason I had to do this. I was making things to rough for them and they deserve a break. If I can find what I'm looking for, then I will be able to go back home. The problem is that people will be looking for me."

Roy looked a little startled at that comment. He wasn't sure what Chuck was into, but it didn't sound good. He wondered if he should have Chuck leave his truck, but something about Chuck told him it would be alright. Chuck didn't seem like the type who would be wrapped up in criminal activities but he had to be sure.

"Who will come looking for you? Should I be worried?" asked Roy tentatively.

Chuck looked over at him. 'This guy seems alright,' thought Chuck. 'I should tell him as much as I can.'

"Here goes, Roy. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I kind of work for the government. And I hate it. But they won't let me leave and this guy I'm looking for is the only one who can help me be free of them."

Roy contemplated for a moment, before nodding. "I believe you Chuck." Chuck was taken aback. "No, I'm serious. I do. I've been in your position. I did, er, government work before too. I kid you not."

Chuck looked away and rolled his eyes. 'Well, at least he believes me, even if he is crazy.'

Roy saw the look that Chuck gave him, so he pressed the issue. "No, I was. I worked for the CIA. I had all sorts of aliases. My favorite was Michael McDunn."

The name triggered a flash about a covert operation in Dublin with the IRA some 20 years ago. "No way," Chuck said under his breath.

"I had some bad experiences towards the end. I realized I was doing things just so people could deepen their pockets and make themselves look good. That's when I lost faith in the government. I got out before it was too late and now I make an honest living as a trucker. The last thing the CIA gave me was a chance to be normal again and I gratefully took it. I know the position you're in Chuck, I do. Why didn't you request to leave, rather than run?" He looked significantly at Chuck.

"I can't. They won't let me go. I'm an asset, not an agent. I'm too valuable to not be with them. But the guy I'm looking for, he can change that. He can make me useless so I can be free from all of it."

They both looked out the windshield and into the darkness, lost in their own thoughts. Chuck took out his photo of him with Sarah and stared at it. Part of him believed what she said in that hotel, and if it was true, she would find him when it was over. That was one of the things that would keep him going on this journey of his.

"Who's that?" asked Roy. Chuck didn't realize Roy had seen the picture.

"Oh, she's my handler and cover girlfriend," Chuck said as he handed it to him.

"Man, she is quite the looker. Must be tough for you," he said to Chuck as he handed back the picture.

"You have no idea," responded Chuck.

"Well, I have some, after all," retorted Roy, giving Chuck a wink, and they both shared a laugh.

"She'll find out about the truck stop though. She'll come looking for me and find you. She's the best."

"Don't worry about that. I'll put word out about her, then when she shows up, I'll talk to her. I got your back Chuck; I'll send her in the wrong direction. I'll even give her message if you want me to."

"No, I already left her one. She'll find it in about," he looked at his watch, "two hours when she shows up at my house for Christmas." Chuck allowed himself a sad smile as his thoughts turned to Sarah.

***

Sarah rolled over again. She had been tossing and turning all night, never able to get comfortable enough to fall asleep and stay asleep. A glance at the clock told her it was 6:00 am. She rolled over again, willing herself to fall asleep again. After 15 minutes, she decided it was no use. With plenty of time before she went to Chuck's, she decided to get her workout in early, thus she would be able to spend nearly all day with Chuck.

After 45 minutes of hard training, Sarah was sweating and exhausted. She definitely felt like she could sleep now. However, she grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom for a shower. She would take a nap at Chuck's. Maybe they would both fall asleep holding each other on the couch. Various other ideas played across Sarah's mind as she got herself ready for Christmas at the Bartowski's.

***

Ellie rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She was still tired from the previous day's work, but since it was Christmas, she decided to stay awake and start breakfast. As she walked past Chuck's door, she resisted the urge to run and jump on his bed like she used to when they were kids. But remembering the day he'd had, she decided to continue to let him rest.

In the kitchen sipping coffee, Ellie decided that French toast would be their breakfast. It was fairly easy to make, always tasty, and didn't leave a terrible mess. She decided to wait until it was closer to 8:00 am before she started to cook. She took a seat on the couch, grabbed a blanket, and decided to watch _A Christmas Story_. They ran marathons every year at Christmas, and it was a must watch every year.

Around 7:45 am, Ellie decided it was time to get everyone awake. She made her way to her bedroom and woke Devon up with a kiss on the cheek.

"Do I get my present right now?" he asked sleepily into his pillow.

"No," Ellie scoffed. "Come on, get up. It's Christmas. Sarah's going to be here soon and we should be ready to start when she gets here."

Devon sighed and reluctantly got out of bed. While Devon went into the bathroom, Ellie walked into Chuck's room. It was empty. She looked around for a second, not quite sure what was going on. She called his cell but it went straight to voicemail. She immediately panicked and yelled for Devon.

"Whoa, babe, what's wrong?" he asked seriously.

"Chuck isn't here. I don't know where he is." Ellie was on the brink of tears.

"I'm sure he went to Sarah's last night or something," Devon responded soothingly.

"But he would have answered his phone."

"I'm sure everything is alright. I bet they'll walk through that door here anytime now."

As they turned to leave, Ellie noticed Chuck had a picture frame turned face down. She propped it back up, but a note, not a picture, was inside it. It read, 'Under the mattress.' She recognized Chuck's handwriting, and thought maybe he was playing some cruel joke on him. She reached between the mattress and the box springs and found the envelopes. One said 'Ellie', and one said 'Sarah'. Ellie's heart immediately sank. She opened the envelope and pulled out the note Chuck had written.

_Ellie,_

_I know that this is the worst thing I could ever do, and to do it on Christmas. Ellie, I've left. I don't know when or if I'll ever come back. There is so much I wish I could tell you, but I can't. You just have to trust me on this. This whole thing with Natalie put things into perspective for me. My life has been messed up for awhile now. I'm attempting to regain control of my life. I can only hope to make you understand that I am not leaving you, but rather I am trying to do something for me. I know in an instant you would do anything for me, but this is something I have to do for myself. I know Devon will take care of you, which is another reason that I knew it was time to leave. I would never just abandon you. He loves you, and you love him. You guys will be alright. I hope to make it back for the wedding, but I don't want to give you false hope. Odds are I'll never return. Just know that I love you and I never wanted to hurt you. Give my best wishes to everyone and take care of yourself. I'm so sorry._

_Love, _

_Chuck_

_**P.S.**__ Sarah will blame herself for my leaving. Please don't let her. This was entirely my decision._

Ellie broke down midway through the letter and had trouble finishing it on account of her tears smudging the ink and damaging the paper. Devon was in shock. Never did he believe in a million years that Chuck would leave Ellie. And he wasn't being very specific as to why he left, just vague hints that they should trust him, which only intensified his curiosity as to why Chuck disappeared.

A knock at the front door broke his thoughts. He looked at Ellie who was lying face down on Chuck's bed crying her eyes out and went to the door. He knew it was Sarah and he didn't know how to tell her what had just happened. He opened the door to see her smiling brightly at him. She was carrying a few gifts, likely one for each of them.

The look on Devon's face told Sarah that something was wrong. She heard Ellie crying in the other room. She quickly stepped across the threshold and into the Bartowski residence. She cast a worried glance at Devon, set her gifts on the couch, and made her way to Ellie. She was surprised when she found Ellie in Chuck's room. Ellie was lying on Chuck's bed, sobbing. Sarah's heart quickly went to her throat.

"Ellie…" Sarah managed, but all Ellie did was raise a letter and Sarah quickly snatched it. She recognized Chuck's writing on it. She was trying to steady herself, but it wasn't working. She shakily made her way into the living room while Devon went into Chuck's room to comfort Ellie. Sarah sat down and opened the envelope with shaking hands.

_Sarah,_

_I just can't do this anymore. The lying, the killing, all of it, I don't want to do this anymore. It's not me. I'm losing myself every day I'm still the Intersect. Don't worry, I told Ellie and Devon nothing, so there is no need to waterboard them or anything._

_Sarah, I decided to do this as I was sitting in that hospital bed. I heard you and Casey talking, and how Beckman wanted to keep me in the field. It was then I decided to run. I requested Natalie because I knew it would be too hard to run if you were my handler and that's why I left before we got back together. I knew I wouldn't be able to once we were a couple again._

_Sarah, I want to believe everything you said in your hotel, I do, but I just can't anymore. I thought it was a ploy to get me under control again, and if it wasn't, well, I'm not letting you take this risk with me. I'm not naïve enough to think this will end well. I know what awaits me if I don't take control of my life. Once I've run my course, it's a bullet or a bunker. I figure the same thing awaits me out here. But I am looking for a man. I know he is the one who can help me. He can get the Intersect out of me. Also, I know how important I am, so I'll do what needs to be done if it ever comes to that._

_I want you to know that this has nothing to do with you. You've been one of the only people who knows what I've gone through and you helped me so much. You were great, you are great. But it's time for this to end, one way or another._

_Chuck_

Sarah did her best, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She knew she should go to Casey and try to find Chuck before Beckman found out he was gone. But all she wanted to do was lie down and cry, which she did.

***

Casey was awoken to the sounds of crying. He was still sitting in his chair, headset on. He could hear Ellie crying. He quickly pulled up surveillance on the house and found Ellie, with Devon, in Chuck's room. He checked the rest of the house and found Walker on the couch, lying down, her face buried in the cushions. 'Bartowski!'

Casey pulled up the GPS on Chuck. It showed him still at the hotel. Casey frowned, quickly got dressed and made his way to his car. He thought about grabbing Sarah, but he didn't need a hysterical woman in the car with him. He shook his head. Chuck had somehow managed to make the famous Sarah Walker fall for him. How Chuck managed that, Casey had no idea.

Casey was quickly in the hotel parking area and found Chuck's Herder. He eyed it suspiciously as he made his way to the elevator. Bartowski's signal showed him on the 8th floor. Casey ran down the hallway to the room Chuck's signal was coming from and kicked it in. He was ready to beat down Bartowski.

What he wasn't ready for was to find a 30 something couple mid coitus, apparently enjoying the holidays. The woman screamed and covered herself up, while the man looked outraged and was threatening Casey great bodily harm. Casey ignored him and flashed a badge, which the man acknowledged. He pinpointed the signal, and found Chuck's watch in the man's coat pocket.

"That's not mine," the man said, pointing at it.

"Ya think," said Casey angrily as he stormed away.

He moved his way to the security room and barged in.

"Hey," the guard said, but was quieted by the sight of the badge.

Casey sat down and started going through surveillance footage on the hotel from the previous night. He finally spotted Chuck drive in. He watched him board an elevator with the man whose room Casey had just left. Casey smirked a little. Chuck wasn't so incompetent after all. He then watched as Chuck emerged and went to his Herder. He was bent over there for a few moments but then came up in an entirely new outfit. Casey also saw Chuck put the gun in the back of his pants. 'Where'd he get that?' thought Casey. Finally, he watched Chuck break into a car and steal it. Casey actually smiled. Little Chuck was finally manning up, doing things the grown up way. Casey got the license plate, make and model of the car. He called the local police to have them issue a BOLO for the car. He then looked at the time stamp of the video. It said it was just after 1:00 am. Chuck had a seven hour head start.

"We'll see if you're as good as you think you are," Casey muttered to himself, as he made his way back to his car. He decided to go get Sarah and plan their next move.

***

The sound of her cell phone ringing caused Sarah to raise her head from the couch. 'Chuck,' she instantly thought, but the caller ID read Casey, which quickly dampened her spirits that had rose as a result of the phone ringing.

"Hello," she said thickly, trying to mask her emotions but failing miserably.

"Walker, get to my place, now. We have to formulate a plan," Casey ordered.

She heard Devon still trying to comfort a sobbing Ellie as she made her way across the living room and out the door. She walked by the fountain and made her way to Casey's door. She knocked but it was surprisingly already open. Upon entering, she saw Casey at his computer going over surveillance footage.

"Look, we missed it," Casey pointed at the monitor.

Sarah looked at it. Chuck was in the Buy More. He was in the home theater room, with all sorts of new clothes, quickly cutting of the tags and hastily packing them into a suitcase. They also saw him with a briefcase. It was open. Casey zoomed in the camera and they were shocked to see it was full of cash.

"Dammit," Casey grunted, "Where'd he get that money?"

Sadly, Sarah responded, "We gave it to him, remember, the pay package."

Casey looked over at her and realized she was right. How long had Bartowski been planning this? He looked back at the monitor and saw Chuck find the secret compartment in the table and load the gun and ammunition, along with a few other spy items, into his suitcase. They watched as he made his way out to the Nerd Herder and drove off.

"He's been planning this since the shipping container," Sarah said softly.

"What!?" Casey shouted. "How do you know?"

"He gave me a letter," she replied, holding it up.

Casey quickly snatched it from her grasp and read it. It all made sense. The money, the new girl, the training. He wanted to be prepared, all right, but to survive on the run, not survive the missions.

***

"Be on the lookout for a blue Ford Mustang, license plate…." Chuck tensed up as he heard this over Roy's police scanner. Roy saw Chuck's change in demeanor, so he decided to lighten the mood a bit.

"So, I take it that," he nodded to the scanner, "must be the car you 'borrowed' to get to the truck stop?"

"Yeah," Chuck said nervously. "I left it at the truck stop. I knew I couldn't keep it that long."

"You left it there?" Roy asked, surprised. "I don't remember ever seeing it."

"Well, I parked it in this secluded spot behind the restaurant. You can't see it from the front. I figure one of the workers will report it in a couple of days, but that should buy me some time."

Roy nodded. He was somewhat impressed by Chuck. He was clearly jumpy and nervous, no operative, but he had planned well. So far, he was executing pretty well. Roy wanted to know how much of this Chuck had planned because maybe he could help.

"So, what's your plan once we get to Eugene?"

"Umm, I'll probably buy a car with cash. Need to be able to move around. Then I'll use my skill set to find the guy I'm looking for. But I have no idea where he could be, so it may take awhile. But I got a decent amount of cash. I figure I could survive without a job for about 14 months."

Roy nodded again. 'He really had planned this out,' thought Roy. He noticed Chuck stifling a yawn.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Roy insisted, "I'll wake you when we get to Eugene. Get you some food and then get you on your way." Chuck smiled and reclined his chair, letting sleep overtake him.

***

"HE WHAT!?"

Casey and Sarah knew the general would take the news badly, and the fact that it was Christmas didn't help matters. Sarah was still too emotionally unstable to speak to Beckman, because she knew it would give away her feelings for Chuck.

"The asset has run, ma'am," Casey repeated calmly.

"How has this happened?"

"Well, he cashed his government paycheck and drained his bank accounts. The ATMs show he was at a mall and security video at the mall shows him buying all sorts of new clothes. He then went back to the Buy More and packed everything up. He also took a weapon, ammunition, tranquilizers, anything he could get his hands on. He then proceeded to a hotel, placed his GPS on a guest, changed into new clothes, left all his personal items in the Herder, stole a car, and then left."

"What is being done to find him?"

"We have issued a BOLO on the car and have gotten nothing. He probably has ditched it. Other than that, we don't have much to go on."

"How could he have escaped? He was under surveillance, wasn't he?" Beckman's glare threatened to penetrate Casey and Sarah, even if it came from a TV screen.

"We were monitoring his GPS but we didn't have eyes on him. His GPS showed he was where he was supposed to be, so we thought nothing of it."

"What about his friends and family? Do they know where he is?"

"Judging by the reactions of those close to him," Casey paused, throwing a glance at Sarah, "they were told nothing."

"Why has he run? I mean, why now?" Beckman was intrigued.

"We believe," Sarah said, finally speaking, "that Chuck has come across evidence that there is someone out there who can help him get the Intersect out of his head. He has been planning to run since the shipping container. He knew that he would have to keep doing…this, and he didn't want to. That's why he made all those requests, to prepare himself for this. He must have gotten his information recently. Otherwise he would have run before now."

"Hmm," said Beckman, stalling while she formulated a plan. "We need Bartowski back, alive. He is too important to kill. But this ends his life as a civilian. He will be placed in a secure location, where he will work for us. Release his photo to every agency you can think of. The more eyes we have looking the better. Also, review everyone he has come into contact with over the past week. We need to know where Chuck got his information, and if we can get it too, maybe we can find out where he is going."

"If I may," Casey stated cautiously, "I think this investigation needs to be low profile. If people find out the CIA and NSA are looking for one man, a civilian no less, they will get suspicious, and maybe assume he is the Intersect."

Beckman pondered his statement for a moment. 'It's true that too much attention could cause problems, especially if Fulcrum finds out.' She continued to think before finally reaching a solution.

"You both will search for him quietly. I'll alert border patrol to make sure he hasn't already left the country. He's not an agent, so he should slip up pretty soon. Remember to go over his contacts over the past couple of weeks. We need to know where he got his information, and if it is in fact true."

The screen went black.

Casey and Sarah went to work. Having something to do was able to take their minds off the fact that they allowed Chuck to fool them. Casey was pissed that Chuck had outsmarted him, while Sarah was both angry and heartbroken that Chuck would leave without telling her or asking her for help.

Meanwhile, in Beckman's office, the general sat in her chair, her mind racing. If there really was someone out there who could help Bartowski get the Intersect out, it had to be Orion. He was supposedly dead, but one never took those kinds of details at face value. All she knew was that Chuck could never meet Orion because she needed that Intersect in his head. She also didn't trust Agent Walker. She had seen the surveillance tapes. There was no doubt in her mind that if she found Chuck, she would help him rather than turn him in. The NSA had to stay in control of this investigation.

***

It was late in the afternoon when the big rig finally came to a stop. Chuck awoke abruptly, hardly believing that he was able to sleep so well. He looked around. From the amount of trees he saw out of the windshield, he knew he wasn't in Eugene.

"Where are we?" Chuck asked nervously, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Eugene," said a smiling Roy. "Well, by Eugene anyway. Never was a city person. I love being out away from everyone."

They certainly were. When Chuck exited the truck, he saw a long trail leading back to the road. Looking around, Chuck could see the lights of the city to the west. They weren't quite as isolated as Chuck imagined. He gathered up his belongings and followed Roy into the house, which was bigger than it appeared.

"Honey, I'm home," said Roy sarcastically, and a little Asian woman with long, straight black hair in her late 30's appeared from what Chuck guessed was the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. It faltered a bit when she saw Chuck.

"Who is that?" she asked loudly, not caring that she was being rude.

"Lily, this is Chuck. Chuck, this is my charming wife Lily." Chuck went forward an extended a hand, which Lily carefully accepted.

"Sorry about all this," Chuck apologized. "I really should be going."

"Nonsense," said Roy, slapping him on the shoulder. "It's Christmas and no one should be alone on Christmas. Besides, I believe I have some things that will be able to help you out." He gave Chuck a significant look and Chuck managed a small smile in return.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Chuck felt like he was trespassing by being there. Lily was quietly eating, listening to her husband halfheartedly while keeping a close eye on Chuck. She didn't trust strangers. Roy talked most of the time about his travels and how work was going. Finally, he got to the part about meeting Chuck.

"I met him this morning. Never seen someone so lost. Figured I could give him some guidance and tools for the future."

After the dinner was cleaned up, they were all sitting in the living room in an uncomfortable silence. Chuck decided to finally break it.

"Dinner was great. Thank you so much for the hospitality, Roy, and you too Lily, but I feel I have overstayed my welcome." Chuck stood up and Roy did so too.

"Eager to get to it, I see?" Roy asked.

Chuck, noting the tone, replied honestly, "The sooner the better."

"Alright then. I have some things that will help you. Follow me." He started walking from the living room into a hallway. He looked back over his shoulder. Chuck still hadn't moved, deciding whether or not to trust Roy. "Come on." He was motioning for Chuck to follow him.

Chuck finally followed Roy down the hallway. He didn't know why, but something about Roy put him at ease. Roy turned into a room that Chuck didn't even realize was there, and upon closer inspection, found that the door looked like the wall. Puzzled, Chuck entered the room and Roy closed the door. Roy flipped the switch.

'This is exactly how I pictured a den at Casey's,' Chuck thought. The room was plastered with photos of Roy all over the world with all sorts of people. He also had various artifacts, daggers, guns and dishes. Chuck kept looking around the room at everything. He also kept flashing on almost everything he saw. They were all old ops that Roy had obviously gone on, and some of the artifacts Roy had collected were very valuable and likely obtained through not so legal actions.

"You like?" Roy asked Chuck, marveling how Chuck was staring at everything with interest.

"Yeah, it's cool. But isn't dangerous to have all this stuff. I mean, if anyone finds it, you're in some serious trouble. It's a link to your past life."

Roy waved off this comment. "You can't have done what I did without collecting some mementos. I had some good times when I was working. Met some very good people. I can't just throw away all of that. What's the fun in life without a little danger?"

"But what about Lily?"

"She knows what I was. I met her on assignment in China." Roy's tone had hardened, but Chuck decided not to press the issue.

"So, you said you wanted to help me?" Chuck asked, deciding to get to the point.

"Yeah," said Roy, apparently coming back from a deep thought, "I do. You seem like you have no one to trust. I want you to trust me. I know what it's like to work for the government. Back in the old days, you knew what side you were on. Nowadays, it's become a mess, and you never know if you're being played or who you can trust. Like I said, it's one of the reasons I got out while I could. I want to help you because I know how unforgiving that life can be and how rewarding it is to be free of it."

"Now, go and get your things. That luggage is alright, but that briefcase kind of stands out. I think I got just thing for you."

Roy started digging around under his desk for something while Chuck went to get his things. When he returned, he saw that Roy had a backpack set on his desk.

"That's it?" Chuck asked. He wasn't sure what to expect from Roy, but he thought it might be a little better than a back pack.

"Well this," Roy stated, "isn't just any back pack. This thing has everything." He opened it up. "Looks normal right, but it has a hidden compartment inside the back." He showed Chuck. "You can put your money in there."

Chuck was shocked by Roy, then a little angry. Roy had looked through his belongings while he slept.

"Sorry," Roy said shrugging his shoulders, "but I wanted to see all you brought." He grabbed Chuck's briefcase and started packing away the money. "It also has a camera hooked into it so when you are wearing it you can see if you are being followed. Just hook it up to something with a screen and you're good to go. Also, there are some thermal and night vision goggles in there. Those always come in handy. I also put some extra mags of ammuntion in there for you, along with a couple of grenades. I know," Roy said from the look on Chuck's face, "it seems like a lot, but it never hurts to be prepared. I also put a satellite phone in there for you. The thing is about as secure as it gets. Bugs in it to ensure no one can listen in, and damn near untraceable."

Roy had finished packing away everything for Chuck, and with a look back in the briefcase, he saw the photo of Chuck and Sarah. "Here."

Chuck took the photo and stared at it. Normally it would be Sarah helping with this sort of thing, but now he was getting advice from some ex-spook in the middle of nowhere. He missed her. He wondered whether she was hurting or whether she was gearing up to take him down.

"You really love her, don't you?"

The question broke Chuck's thought process. He hastily put the photo away and tried to play it cool. "Just remembering the good ole days." Chuck half smiled.

Roy wasn't buying it. "Not the way you were looking at that picture."

Chuck sighed. "I do. She said she did but I don't know. It was probably another way to control me. This world is too messed up for love."

"Don't be so sure," Roy commented. His thoughts drifted to Lily.

"Alright," Roy said loudly, breaking the silence that had filled the room. "There you go. You got your clothes in the one bag and your equipment in the other. Just make sure you always have things organized. Every second counts, and if you know where things are, then you're a second ahead."

Chuck nodded, taking in every bit of advice he could. Roy was giving him so much and it all seemed necessary. 'I'm not nearly as prepared as I thought I was,' he thought. 'Do I even have a shot?' Doubt started to fill his mind, but since there was no other alternative waiting back in Burbank, he pushed those doubts aside.

"I got a couple more gifts for you," Roy said as he had Chuck follow him into his garage. "I've been working on her for awhile. She is my baby. But I think she'll do okay in your hands." He flipped on the switch. Chuck's jaw dropped.

He was looking at a black 1973 Dodge Charger. "Wow," Chuck muttered softly. "I can't. I can't take this, it's too much."

Roy shook his head smiling. "I want you to have it. I never drive it very much since I'm always on the road. She needs to be driven and it looks like you need something to drive. It's also clean, nothing traceable on the car. No airbags either, which means it's good if you have to crash into a building. You won't knock yourself out."

Chuck didn't know what to say. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, it sounds like your situation sucks. And I want to help. Plus, it's been so long since I've done anything remotely this exciting."

Chuck didn't know what else to say to show his gratitude, so he hugged the man. "If I get through all of this, I'm gonna buy you a beer one day."

Roy laughed. "I look forward to it. By the way, what's the name of the guy you're looking for? I got some friends in some places who might be able to help you out. I'll have them relay the information to me, and then I'll call you on that sat phone."

Chuck paused, uncertain whether he should mention it. "It's Orion."

"Orion?" Roy was confused.

"It's a code name. I don't know his real name." Chuck shook his head. "Just forget it. This is some pretty serious shit. If people think you're looking for Orion, they'll come for you. And I don't mean just the government."

"No, it's okay. I trust my contacts. I'll throw some feelers out there for you; let you know what I get back. Lastly," Roy started, but was interrupted by Chuck.

"I really think you've done enough," Chuck said sheepishly.

"No, I was just saying I got a brother who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He owns a bar called The Bird. You ever need a place to stay, you are always welcome there."

Chuck nodded. "Well, I think it's about time I got to it."

"Good luck Chuck. I hope you find what you are looking for." The two men shook hands.

Chuck grabbed his things and placed them in the car. He got in, started it and backed out of Roy's garage. He didn't know where to go, but he decided to go east, since it offered more options than west. He turned on the radio and drove off into the night, unsure of what fate awaited him.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Well, here it is, a new chapter. I did manage to get some writing done this weekend, although I'm not sure when the next one will be up. Hopefully it will not be too long. Thanks for all the reviews and for kindly looking the other way that Chuck manages to get a huge stroke of good luck last chapter. Also, thanks to the TheJusta for the beta work once again. He was to make sure I do not run into any time paradoxes, which, considering the way my brain works, is probably pretty difficult. Any mistakes are still mine. Standard disclaimer of me not owning Chuck in any sort of way still applies. As always, enjoy and keep reviewing._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 4

_**July 19, 2010 Langley, Virginia**_

The phone on the nightstand was buzzing. Sarah Walker instantly woke at the change in the room. She reached over and grabbed the phone.

"Walker, secure."

"Ma'am, he's been spotted."

Sarah immediately left the comfort of her bed and started gathering her things.

"Rita, I need you to alert the team. We need to be in the air in 30 minutes. Umm…" Sarah was flustered.

This was the first time she had heard anything on Chuck since the disaster in Charlottesville over three months ago. She had been careless, more wanting to find Chuck for personal reasons than for the CIA and it had cost him dearly. She hoped that he would forgive her but she would never forgive herself.

"Don't worry ma'am. I've got the Leer standing by awaiting you and your team for takeoff to Flagstaff."

"What happened? I thought he was gone for sure after…after…" she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge Charlottesville.

"My contacts tell me the NSA said that Orion could be found at some location in Flagstaff. They found out he was in contact with an ex-CIA agent with friends in both the CIA and NSA. That's why he was always turning up whenever there were any leads on Orion. Anyway, the NSA found out, set a trap and waited for him. Well, he must have figured it out before they got to him. He took out three NSA agents and wounded about five more. He was injured but managed to escape."

Sarah let out a huge breath. She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath the entire time Rita was telling her story. She allowed a small grin to form on her face. Beckman would be livid that Chuck managed to escape, again. Her career was on the line. She and Director Bennett of the CIA were in a war over the Intersect. Beckman had dispatched Casey to find Chuck, while Bennett had sent Sarah after him, again. They both wanted the Intersect and they weren't going to share this time.

"Okay, I'll meet the team in 15 minutes. Thank you, Rita."

Sarah hung up the phone. It was only now that she realized it was about 3:30 am. She quickly took off her Stanford night shirt and got changed into a more appropriate ensemble. She was going to be meeting Casey in a few hours. There was no way he was expecting her to be there this quickly. Thankfully Rita had friends she could trust who worked for the NSA.

Their last op together to find Orion in Oklahoma City had been the last straw in friendly play between the NSA and CIA. Had it not been for Chuck, both of them would have been dead. Each agency then decided that the only way to find Chuck was to begin their own individual searches, thus pitting Sarah against Casey. Sarah was wondering how he was handling the strain of looking for Chuck. It hadn't been easy for her.

***

_**Dec. 27, 2008 Castle**_

"Hello," Casey said gruffly into his phone. He hadn't slept in about 24 hours.

"Casey. I have one request. I know you're an honorable man. Please leave my family out of this. They have nothing to do with this. You want me, come get me." Casey's eyes widened as he listened. The moron had already made a mistake and called him.

"Chuck, listen, this isn't going to end well."

At the mention of Chuck's name, Sarah immediately ran and took the phone from Casey.

"Chuck, please, you have to come home." She was pleading to him.

"I'm sorry Sarah. I have to find him. It's the only way I can get the Intersect out and live a normal life. If you meant what you said, you'll understand why I'm doing this." He hung up. Sarah had to stifle a sob that had been threatening to claim her since she first heard his voice.

"I got a trace. It's moving east across Arizona. Idiot probably thought I couldn't trace a prepaid phone. I'm going to alert Beckman." Chuck had been so careful planning his escape. 'There was no way he would make a mistake like that,' thought Sarah.

As Casey was calling Beckman, Sarah's phone rang.

"Agent Walker, this is Sheriff Thomas. I believe we found that car you were looking for. It's behind a diner a few hours north of Burbank just off the I-5. The diner is called The Bird Feeder."

"Oh, alright. We'll get someone up there quickly to take a look at it."

She and Casey hung up their phones at the same time.

"That was a sheriff. They found the car," Sarah said, answering the questioning look he was giving her.

"Oh, right. Well, why don't you go look into that and I'll take care of Arizona." Casey was eyeing her. She didn't appear to want to argue with him, which seemed strange since she was never going to see Chuck again once the NSA got him. He found this odd. "Why aren't you fighting me on this?"

"Because," said Sarah confidently, "Chuck isn't in Arizona. It's a trick. He's been too careful to make a mistake like that. The best lead is the car at that diner. Probably hitched a ride. If I can find out who he went with, I can find out where he is going."

Casey gave her an appraising look. He doubted that Chuck would be that clever. He had interacted with him for a year and a half now. Casey was always one step ahead of Chuck, not the other way around.

"Fine, you follow your 'heart', I'll follow the evidence."

They both gave each other glares before leaving Castle and heading their respective ways.

***

_**Outside Tucson, Arizona**_

"General, this is Casey. It looks like Bartowski fooled us."

He was holding the prepaid phone Chuck had purchased. Not surprisingly, the driver of the mail truck was extremely nervous when he was stopped by three government SUVs and a little bit angry that he was thrown from his truck, handcuffed, being charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. A subsequent search found no Chuck hiding amongst the mail, but did find a package that contained the source the Casey's anger.

"What? What's going on?" Beckman was livid. Not only had Bartowski not slipped up, but he had managed to fool them again, allowing him to get further away.

"It appears he programmed one phone to call a second one, which upon being called would call us. So the phone that called us wasn't the phone he was talking on, meaning we would trace a phantom and not him."

"So, do we have anything else?"

"Agent Walker is investigating the diner where the car Chuck stole was found. It appears that he hitched a ride. Walker will do her thing to see if she can get some information out of those truckers."

"Okay, Major, get back to LA as soon as possible. Also, did Bartowski come into contact with anyone suspicious who could have given him his intel, thus prompting him to run?" Beckman needed something. This was going to be all on her. It was her team that lost the most important intelligence asset in the world.

"No ma'am. After going over surveillance, the only character out of the ordinary Chuck came into contact with was Dick Johnson, the scientist he gunned down. But if he knew something about the Intersect, why would Chuck have killed him?"

"Because maybe Bartowski didn't want anyone to know where he'd gotten his information. I'm going to do some digging on this guy, see if he had any ties to the Intersect or anyone involved with it."

"Roger that, General." He hung up, shaking his head. He had underestimated Chuck.

***

**_The Bird Feeder Diner_**

Sarah was inside interviewing the hostess. She knew the car was no good. Chuck hadn't left anything important in there.

"So, did he say where he was going? Give any indication that he was meeting someone?" Sarah asked politely.

"Nah," said Pam, "Just ordered some breakfast and got a ride from somebody. He was a runner for sure. He had that look in his eye. Always looking out the window, always thinking. He actually seemed a little happy. Strange, right? Most people who run are usually scared out of their minds."

Sarah thanked the hostess for her time. 'Well, that was a waste,' she thought savagely. 'Not going to make this easy for me, are you Chuck?' She was walking up to a group of truckers who were looking directly at her, not actually believing what they were seeing. They started getting out money and passing it amongst each other. One man seemed to be collecting most of it. Sarah frowned a bit, getting a somewhat angry. Did they think she was a hooker or something? Despite her feelings towards the group, she made her way over to them.

The man who had all the money spoke up when she got close. "So, you really showed up? I figured since most were betting against it, the best way to make money was to bet for you. Thank you very much."

Sarah was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Buddy of mine said a beautiful blonde would show up at this exact diner within the week. He said she'd ask about a kid who was running." He grinned at her shocked expression, while most of the other men were looking at anything but her face.

"Who said all this?" Her mind was racing. 'How much had Chuck spilled? Did he say anything to compromise me?'

"My buddy Roy. Here," he let up into the cab to use the CB radio. "He wants to talk to you."

Sarah put the little piece of plastic up to her mouth. "Hello, Roy?" She was totally put offguard.

"So, this is the famous Sarah. I must say, you sound as beautiful as you looked in the photo Chuck had."

Chuck's name got her to refocus. 'Find Chuck. Where he is going, who he is after?'

"Do you know where he is? I really need to find him."

"Ah, he said you would come looking for him. He must know you really well. Can't believe he would run from you. He really is hopelessly in love. The way he stared at that photo. Man."

Sarah softened at hearing that, however she plowed ahead with her questions.

"Do you know where he is heading?"

"Nope, can't say that I do. Dropped him off in Eugene. That's where I live. It was Christmas Day and I was looking to get home. Figured I would give the poor kid a lift. He just said he wanted to get as far away from LA as he could."

"LA? He told you where he was from?"

"Yeah. It was a long drive and we did a bit of talking. Asked him why he was on the run on Christmas. Said something about job troubles, and he mentioned you. Said you were the best thing to happen to him and that he loved you, but he needed a change. You were the only thing keeping him in LA and your job wouldn't let you leave. He decided that he couldn't take it anymore and just left."

Chuck didn't tip his hat to anyone. She thought his personality might allow him to open up about his plans to whoever gave him a ride, but it hadn't. "Thanks for your time," Sarah said softly. Not only had Chuck escaped, but she had nothing.

"No problem, Sarah. I hope that boy finds what he is looking for. He seemed desperate."

'He is desperate,' thought Sarah as she turned off the CB. Not only had Chuck managed to fool Casey into thinking he was in Arizona, he left her nothing here. He was dropped off in Eugene, two days ago. He could be anywhere by now. Plus, he had let the truckers know she would be coming, on top of letting them hear his sad story. He had turned them against her before she had a chance to charm them. She had underestimated Chuck.

***

It was after sunset when both Casey and Sarah had returned to Castle. Neither one of them had anything good to report. Chuck had effectively gone off the grid. They didn't know his mode of transportation, where he was going or who he was looking for. They had no idea how to begin a search when they had no idea where to look.

"Can't believe that idiot got me to think he was in Tucson?" Casey was shaking his head. "He is a geek after all. Shoulda known he would try to use our methods of tracking against us."

"It's nerd," Sarah corrected him automatically. Casey grunted, acknowledging her. "And he turned everyone against me before I even got there. Told them I was the reason for him being trapped in LA with the job he hates. Everyone took pity on him. I didn't stand a chance to charm anything useful out of them, not that I would have gotten much. Chuck has been too careful to let anything important slip."

Beckman then appeared on screen. She had a small smile on her face. Casey and Sarah looked hopeful. Maybe there had been a sighting of Chuck.

"Well, after some digging, it appears that Dick Johnson actually worked on the Intersect project in its early days." Everything on him came up on screen. "If Chuck got his information about finding someone to help him take the Intersect out, it would have came from him."

"Aren't there about 15 people that worked on the Intersect? How do we know which one Chuck is looking for?" asked Casey, looking at the files on Johnson.

"Because," Beckman started hesitantly, "there's only person who has worked on the Intersect, past and present, who is unaccounted for. His code name is Orion. He was pretty much the creator of the Intersect. It was almost entirely based on his work and theories. However, he faked his death, purged his files and completely fell off the grid."

"Why would he run?" Sarah asked, confused.

Beckman seemed to be contemplating on what to say. "When the Intersect was first created, the whole encoded images idea was a theory. Orion believed that a human being could absorb the data, just like Bartowski has. However, the first attempts of a download were…unsuccessful."

"Unsuccessful how?" Sarah could sense Beckman was skirting the issue.

"The first few subjects were unable to handle the amount of data in the images and became incapacitated. Immediately, Orion and his staff tried to shut down the project. They tested their theory and believed it to be wrong. However, the thought of Intersects being in agents was an idea the NSA and CIA would not let die. They wanted to keep testing. Orion, along with his team, objected and anyone who tried to speak out against the Intersect was dealt with. Johnson disappeared and Orion supposedly died in a car crash. The remains were too degraded for a positive ID, but it was his car and the body was similar to Orion's build. We have concrete evidence of where the rest of his team is, but not Orion. That must be who Chuck is after."

"We also believe that Fulcrum has plans to build their own Intersect and are currently searching for Orion as well. It is imperative that we find Orion before either Fulcrum or Bartowski. Bartowski can't meet Orion. He's the only one that has proven capable to handle the download."

"Wait, you don't want the secrets out of Chuck's head?" It was Casey that spoke up now.

"No, Major, I don't. He's far too valuable. That's why the standing order is to bring him in alive. He processes things much better than the computer could. While he may not be as effective as he was in the field, he will be effective none the less."

Noting no more questions, Beckman ended the teleconference. Sarah and Casey looked at each other, not quite sure that they had heard right.

'They never had any plan to eventually help Chuck,' thought Sarah. 'They were going to use him until he died. Then they would find the next poor soul and do the same thing.' Now knowing the General's plans, part of her wanted Chuck to actually succeed and never be heard from again, if only so he wouldn't have to face what Beckman had planned for him.

Casey, on the other hand, was shocked at what his government had done. Sure, there had been times when unsavory things had to be done, but it was for the greater good. This, this was different. A human Intersect wasn't necessary for espionage work. Sure, it helped a lot but they could still get the job done without one. He wondered how many before Bartowski and how many after would have to deal with this.

Both Sarah and Casey glanced at each other. They both had jobs to do but neither was sure what they would do if they actually found Chuck. Would they take him in as they were supposed to or would they sacrifice themselves, their careers, all they fought for and believed in to help the nerd? They knew what the other was thinking and neither had an answer.

***

Chuck was sitting in a crummy motel on the Idaho/Montana border. The weather outside was getting progressively worse and Chuck was having trouble keeping the Charger on the road. He never really had to deal with snow and ice before so he was getting a firsthand education. He opened his luggage and pulled out the clippers. The first thing he had to do was cut his hair. He decided to just buzz it. Since he was going to be wearing a hat most of the time, he didn't mind so much that his hair was going to be all gone.

He went into the bathroom and took one last look at himself. He ran his fingers through his hair one final time. 'Sarah loved running her hands through my hair,' he reminisced. The thought brought a smile to his face. He stared at his hair a bit longer, and then set to work. After 10 minutes, Chuck's hair was the shortest it had been in the past 10 years. He ran his hand over his head, feeling the tips of his hair tickling his hand. He sighed and decided to get some rest. As he made his way to his bed, he felt somewhat naked without the curls covering his ears.

Just as he had changed into his night clothes, his sat phone went off. Chuck got nervous. He wasn't expecting a call from Roy for at least a week. Had Sarah found him and gotten it all out of him? Did Roy's loyalty always run to the CIA first, friends second? He hesitantly picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chuck. It's Roy."

"Roy, why are you calling me so quickly? There's no way you could have heard anything about Orion."

"I haven't. I just called to tell you that your handler didn't suspect a thing. Although I thought your other guy, the NSA droid you talked about, would be there. I guess it was just her."

Chuck allowed himself a smile. "Casey was somewhere in Arizona this afternoon."

"Arizona? Why would he be there?"

"I sent him there. I called, but routed the call through another phone that I sent to Arizona. If he traced it, like I believe he did, then he went to the phone. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he figured out what I did."

Roy was laughing. "Good for you, Chuck. Now, I want you to know that you are always welcome here. I know Lily seemed a little rude when I brought you, but I told her your situation and…"

"You told her?" Chuck interrupted loudly.

"Listen, Chuck. Trust me, she is someone you want on your side. Anyway, she says you're welcome anytime. Just make sure you call before hand. Popping in would be a big mistake."

Chuck grinned. "Roy, I don't know how to thank you. I mean…"

"Don't worry, Chuck. If I get that beer from you, I'll be happy. So, you know where you are heading first?"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to travel. Well, in Europe more than just across the states. I got a few places I want to see and things I want to do here stateside though. Figure now is as good a time as any to see some sights. But I'm gonna lay low for awhile."

"Good Chuck. The heat is going to really be on for a while. I'll call you when I hear word about Orion. And take care of yourself."

"Don't worry Roy. I will. See ya."

Chuck hung up the phone. He was glad he had Roy. As much as he wanted to believe he could do this alone, he knew that was impossible. He needed friends and Roy was the best friend he had right now. He grabbed the 9mm and put it under his pillow. Then he laid down and finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

***

**_Dec. 30, 2008 Keystone, South Dakota_**

Chuck awoke bright and early. The fact that the windows in his room were drafty and the wind was whipping around 50 miles per hour may have had something to do with that. He made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself and warm up in a hot shower. He let the water run over him as he closed his eyes to think. He was sure that he was in the clear with regards to Casey and Sarah. If they hadn't found him by now then he had successfully vanished. Now it was up to him to stay that way. He had been careful when he filled up for gas. He was wearing his hat, the sunglasses, and always kept his head down. The heavy coat also distorted his build. Any place that had a camera Chuck knew he was going to have to play it carefully.

He ran his hand over his face. The cold, blustery air that had blown on it briefly seemed to stimulate his facial hair growth. He knew it wouldn't be too long before he had a beard like Morgan's. He laughed at the thought. Morgan's beard was one of the reasons he didn't keep one. He tried his best to do the opposite of what Morgan did when it came to matters like these. Ellie's persistent nagging that he would never land a woman looking like a bum was also a reason he kept clean shaving. It felt kind of nice to not have to worry about little things like that anymore.

After another 20 minutes in the shower, Chuck decided to get some breakfast. He was sure he saw a Denny's when he drove in last night. After Chuck got dressed, which included wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, his coat, his hat, his sunglasses and his 9mm in back of his pants, he went outside to face the brutal winds that had only intensified since he had woken up.

Once inside the cozy atmosphere of the Denny's, Chuck took a look around. His plan when he entered any building was to see if he flashed on anyone. If he did, he would just use the restroom and leave. If not, he would carry out his business. Since he didn't flash this particular morning, Chuck decided his business was to pound a Grand Slam breakfast. Chuck took a seat next to the exit. Not only so he could quickly get away but also so he would be able to watch everyone who came in. After 30 minutes, Chuck's belly was considerably full. He had just pulled out his wallet when a Middle Eastern man walked through the door. Chuck felt his head start to tingle and then he flashed. The man's name was Samir Raheem. He was linked to terrorist attacks all over the world but nothing ever stuck to him. 'What is he doing here?'

The waitress came over. "Can I get you anything else?"

Chuck barely registered what she said. "Ummmm," he looked up at her and she just glared at him. "No, I'm good." He dropped a bill on the table and quickly left. He hurried back to his hotel room and started packing. He needed to leave before the authorities showed up. 'But what if they don't show up?'

'Look, this is not your problem,' he told himself.

'But that man may be planning to blow something up. I have to stop him.'

Chuck fought with himself for about a minute before decided to hop in his car and tail the man. He couldn't just let this guy kill innocent people when he could have done something. He was sitting in the Charger just across the street from the Denny's. He pulled his binoculars from his spy bag to see if Samir was still in there. He was and Chuck noticed he too was enjoying a Grand Slam breakfast. 'I guess that meal is just universally popular,' he told himself. He watched Samir for another 20 minutes before Samir got in his Saab and left.

Chuck hoped that Samir led him to his safe house. Chuck's Charger kind of stood out and he knew he would be easily spotted if Samir drove around for awhile. Luckily for him, Samir just drove about a few miles east of Keystone to a secluded farmhouse. Chuck watched him drive down a dirt path that was about a half mile long and in between a small growth of trees. Chuck got out of his car and took his spy bag with him. As silently as he could, he crept along the path to get a view of the house.

Once Chuck was able to see the house for himself, he took position behind a tree. He wondered how many men where in this particular cell. Using his thermal goggles, he could see five distinct heat signatures. He quickly took the thermal goggles off and switched to his binoculars, looking to see if he could flash on anyone. He flashed on the third member of the team he saw. He saw schematics for a bomb and details of blasts in Baghdad and Brussels. To the left of the farmhouse was a barn, which the man had just entered. 'That must be where the bomb is,' he told himself.

Chuck quickly made his way back to the car he abandoned along the road. It was pretty desolate out there and Chuck doubted that ten cars went past that house in a day. It was the perfect place to plan an attack. But why here? They were in South Dakota of all places. 'Mount Rushmore,' he thought. 'They're going to attack it on New Year's Eve…shit.'

He quickly got out his last prepaid phone. 'I'm going to have to invest in these things,' he told himself because this one wasn't coming with him, not after he made this call. He dialed his favorite number and waited for an answer.

"Hello," said a sleepy female voice.

Chuck smiled when he heard it. It was so nice to hear her voice again. 'Focus, dipshit. Terrorists, bombs, death.'

"Sarah, 315 Wilson Highway, a few miles east of Keystone, South Dakota. Samir Raheem and four others are building a bomb, which I believe they are planning to detonate at Mount Rushmore on New Year's Eve."

"Chuck, is that you?" She sounded hopeful, even a little bit happy.

"Sarah, come to that address and stop them."

"Chuck, how do I know that this isn't another trick of yours, to throw us off your trail?"

Chuck knew they had no idea where he was. "You still sound half asleep, which means you're still in LA, which means you have no idea where I am." He paused, waiting for her to say something. She didn't respond, so he continued. "I'll leave the phone on so you can trace the call. It will be on the ground just outside the driveway to their location."

"Chuck? Chuck, wait dammit!" But Chuck had already dropped the phone and gotten in his car.

***

**_Sarah Walker's Hotel Room  
_**

Sarah heard the sound of a car driving away. 'No,' she thought, 'He's gone again.' She felt like he had briefly returned, just by calling her. She didn't end the call and dressed at record speed. In no time, she was at Castle tracing the call that was still ongoing on her phone. It came back to just outside Keystone, South Dakota, just like he said. She hung up rather reluctantly, severing the tie that had recently connected her to Chuck again.

She dialed Casey.

"Casey, secure."

"Walker, secure. Get to Castle, Chuck just called me. And tell Beckman we need a briefing. There may be an attack on Mount Rushmore tomorrow night."

If Casey was confused, he didn't let on. "Roger that."

In no time, Casey was inside Castle. "What the hell's going on?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Chuck called me this morning and…"

But Casey interrupted with a grunt and sneered, "I knew his lady feelings would get the better of him."

"He called to say that he flashed on a guy who is a suspected terrorist. He said a group is planning an attack on Mount Rushmore tomorrow night."

"Well then, it's imperative we find out whether Bartowski is being sincere or sending us in circles again," said a somewhat disheveled Beckman, who had just appeared on the monitor.

"I traced the call," Sarah started. "He kept the link between the phones. It is exactly where he said he was."

"What did he say about this attack?" Beckman inquired.

"He said," Sarah thought back. She was so surprised to hear his voice that she hadn't paid that much attention. "Samir Raheem, I think, and a group of others were planning an attack for tomorrow night at Mount Rushmore."

"Well, Samir Raheem has been linked to dozens of bombings all over the world and the latest chatter has put him here in the states. Could Bartowski have faked all this? Gotten the information elsewhere?"

"I don't believe so, ma'am," Casey said quickly. "Bartowski may be a lot of things, but this is something he wouldn't joke about."

"And, I already asked him about that," Sarah said sadly. "He knew we were still in LA. He knows we have no idea where he is."

Beckman's eyes narrowed at that. How could that imbecile have outsmarted all of them and completely disappeared?

"Either way," Sarah continued, "I think we have to investigate. It's too important not to."

Beckman agreed. She would put out word to all local officials to monitor that area and wait for her team to arrive. However, if they were just wasting time and this was some sick joke by Bartowski, she would be beyond furious. Within a half hour, both Casey and Sarah were on a government jet to South Dakota to investigate.

***

**_A Few Miles East of Keystone, South Dakota_**

It was still afternoon when Casey and Sarah made their way to the end of driveway. Sarah looked down. Sure enough, the phone was still open on the ground, just like Chuck said it would be.

"We've been watching the road all day. No one pulled into or out of that driveway. This road doesn't get traveled on much. In fact, I'm not sure people even know there is a farmhouse back there. It's pretty secluded, a perfect place for them." The local police chief was updating Sarah and Casey.

"Is the SWAT team ready?" Casey asked, grabbing extra clips of ammunition.

"Yes, Major. Awaiting your orders."

"Okay." Casey marched over to the SWAT team. "Listen, we have five hostiles. They are likely armed with automatic weapons. There may also be a bomb on site. It is unclear whether or not it is working order, so we will assume it is. They will likely detonate if they see us coming in. We go in small. We also need to surround the place. Make sure these guys do not escape."

The team quietly made their way through the trees, fanning out once the house came within sight. Sarah saw a couple of men sitting on the porch smoking. She thought she heard sounds coming from the barn. "Casey, the bomb is likely in the barn," she said into her watch.

"Yeah, I agree. You think you can get in there and take out whoever is in there. Two on the porch. I'm sure I saw someone upstairs moving around. That means at max, two in the barn. Can you handle that?" Casey quipped.

"Yeah, I can handle it," she retorted. Sarah, now in full agent mode, moved over to the left to get into position. She startled a couple of SWAT members when she appeared out of nowhere. She shook her head at how jumpy they were.

Now on the left side of the barn, she couldn't see the house. There was a window in front of her, which would be her entry point. The SWAT team watched in amazement as the one woman on the team made her way to the barn by herself. She looked inside carefully. There was indeed a bomb in there. She saw one man working on it. It wasn't complete, but it was close. She propped herself on the window ledge and quietly made her way inside. She softly landed from the window ledge in an abandoned horse stall. She listened intently. She heard the one man working, but also footsteps. She pulled out two throwing knives. She had a pretty good idea of where her targets were.

She leapt out quickly from the stall into the middle of the barn. She hit the man working on the bomb in the throat. He fell backwards clutching at the piece of metal sticking out of his neck. His companion pulled his gun, but a knife to the arm made him drop his weapon. Sarah quickly ran over to him, dropping him to the ground with a well placed kick to the head. He started to yell but Sarah covered his mouth, pulled out a third knife and ran it across his throat. She kept her hand on his mouth until he stopped struggling. She stood up, her stomach feeling queasy. It had been so long since she had acted so violently, with the sole purpose of killing her target.

"Casey," she whispered, "barn secure. Two men down. Bomb not operational."

"Good work." Casey then got on the radio. "Move in on the house. Still small though. We don't know what they have inside."

The two men on the porch had gone back inside. Casey and the SWAT team quietly made their way to the house. They saw three men sitting on a couch watching television. Casey had the team hold up on the porch. He held up one finger, then two, then three. Once the third finger went up, Casey and team stormed the house. One of terrorists pulled a gun but a shot to the head from Casey killed him. The other two were tackled and handcuffed as the rest of the SWAT forced their way into the house.

A half hour later, government officials were sifting through the house, trying to see if there was anything to connect Raheem to the other bombings they believed him to be a part of.

"Yes, General, the threat has been neutralized. Three dead, two in custody. The bomb was nearly complete when we arrived."

"Good work Major, be sure to thank the…" Beckman stopped. It had become so common to offer Bartowski thanks when a mission was successfully completed.

There was an uncomfortable silence. "Thank Agent Walker for her excellent work today."

"Don't worry, ma'am, I will." The call ended.

"Thanks Chuck," Casey muttered to no one in particular.

***

**_Keystone, South Dakota  
_**

Sarah was trying to see if anyone had seen Chuck. Maybe they could figure out what he was driving or if he had made any changes to his appearance. All Raheem had said was that he couldn't understand he'd been caught. Their plan had been perfect. No one even knew they were there. He said he went to a Denny's in that morning under questioning by Casey. He didn't know why that so important.

Sarah pulled into the Denny's and went inside. The hostess greeted her. "Where would you like to sit, smoking or non smoking?"

"Umm, no, I'm here to ask some questions. Was this man in here earlier?" She pulled Chuck's Buy More employee photo.

"Well, I just got here, so I don't know. Hey, Susie. Come here." She motioned Susie over. "She worked this morning," she told Sarah.

"Did this man come in this morning?" Sarah held up the photo.

"Hmm," pondered Susie. "Maybe. Had a younger guy come in this morning, but he was wearing a stocking hat and sunglasses. Wait, no I remember. Yeah, he was here. I remember his eyes. So pretty." Sarah frowned. "I remember because that foreigner came in and he was more interested in him than me. I was hoping to get his number." Sarah was both pissed that this girl was hitting on Chuck and happy because it was a solid lead.

"Did you see what he was driving?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Umm, he walked in. Yeah, he didn't drive." Sarah deflated a bit.

"You remember anything else about him? Did he look different than in this photo?"

"Hard to tell. He had a hat on, like I said, but his hair was definitely not this long. And he wasn't clean shaven either. Had a little bit of growth. Left me a big tip too. What a sweetheart."

Sarah shook her head and left. She had something, but not much. Chuck had changed his appearance a little. A beard and short hair, like there weren't a ton of 20 somethings out there with that look. 'Short hair,' Sarah thought sadly, 'I really miss running my hands through his hair. The smile on his face when I did was totally worth it. Plus it was something to hold onto when things got heated.' A smile crept to her face as she thought about some of their steamier kisses.

"Wipe that stupid school girl grin off your face Walker." Casey had been dropped by the local police chief. "You find out anything?"

***

**_March 3, 2009 Outside Salt Lake City, Utah 2:00 AM_**

Chuck was speeding down the highway.

"Shit, shit, shit." He was cursing the pain and his foolishness. Had he really thought he could take out a team of nine on his own? 'God, you stupid shithead,' he cursed himself. 'You're lucky to be alive.'

He pulled the sat phone out of his spy bag with a bloody hand. He quickly dialed Roy's number. While waiting for an answer, he dug into the bag for some painkillers. He found some ibuprofen. He popped the top, brought it to his mouth, and started chewing as the pills emptied out of the bottle.

"Hello?" said a disoriented voice. It was female.

"Lily, is that you?" 'Where's Roy?'

"Who is this?" asked a nervous voice.

"Lily, it's Chuck. I need help." 'If Roy's gone, I'm out of ideas.'

Her tone instantly changed, something Sarah's would do on occasion, from nervous to ready for action.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm in bad shape. I can't go to the hospital, but I need help. I don't know who else to ask." His teeth were gritted in pain.

"Chuck, where are you?"

"North of Salt Lake City, driving this thing like I stole it."

"Meet me in Boise City at the Super 8 motel. I'll get the room."

"Okay. Lily, thank you so much."

"Chuck, just focus on getting to the hotel. Thank me after I've had a look at you and fixed you up."

She hung up. Chuck put the phone in the passenger seat. It was then did he realize how far a drive he had and how much pain he was in. The stab in his left calf was killing him. The slice on the back didn't feel great either and he was certain his right wrist was broken. The other bumps and bruises seemed to hurt even more than they should have. He looked at his reflection and saw he was sporting a black eye.

"You fuckin' idiot," he muttered to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Apologies for the long delay. I was away from my computer for the weekend, so I didn't get a chance to post this thing until today. I hope to be quicker with the next update, but I can't make any promises. Anyways, I loved the reviews. I hope the flashing back and forth hasn't been too confusing. I'm mainly using the flashforwards as a way to allude to certain things that haven't been covered yet. I'm trying to answer some questions while raising new ones. Big thanks to TheJusta for the beta. Any mistakes are still mine and I do not own Chuck in any way at all. So, enjoy and please review._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 5

_**July 19, 2010 Eugene, Oregon**_

"Lily, wake up, Lily." Roy was gently shaking his wife awake. He knew better than to yell to rouse her.

"Wassamater?" Lily mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face her husband.

"Chuck just called. We have to leave."

Lily's eyes instantly opened and she was completely awake. In a matter of minutes, both her and Roy were packed, which included clothes and other spy equipment. Roy booby trapped his house before he left. Those damn government bastards were coming for him. He was going to inflict a little damage for making him have to leave the life he was currently living.

As soon as they were on the road, Lily started in with the questions.

"What the hell is going on, Roy?" She sounded angry and scared.

"I don't know. Chuck said Flagstaff was a setup. The NSA was waiting for him. He fought his way out but he was sure they would be coming for us. Said either Casey figured out we were helping him or that our friend rolled on us. We're meeting him at the diner where I first picked him up and then we'll formulate a plan there."

Both of them were too preoccupied to notice that they were being tailed by a black sedan.

***

**_Seedy Las Vegas Hotel_**

Chuck awoke in a sweat. His nightmares now had three new faces added to them. It seemed like every night he was dreaming about all those he had killed. But this was still too fresh and recent that Chuck was forced to go into the bathroom and throw up. He remembered seeing the blood flying, the smell of it. 'Why weren't those jackasses wearing vests?' He had tried to be non lethal. He shot most in the knees, crippling them for sure, but they were still alive. But when the bullet hit his leg, instinct took over and it was shoot to kill, tight clusters in their chests.

He made his way out of the bathroom carefully. His leg was throbbing and he didn't want to tear his stitches. The clock read 4:00 am. Well, he'd gotten a few hours sleep. With that, he grabbed his gear and left the hotel. He started walking around looking for a parking garage. He needed a new ride.

***

**_March 3, 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah Just After Midnight_**

Chuck had followed the Fulcrum agents back to their base of operations, which as of now was a rundown two story house in a shitty neighborhood. His flash of the two men made him nearly want to vomit, and not just because the flashes sometimes made him uneasy. These particular Fulcrum agents were running a human trafficking business. They would take girls off the street and sell them to the highest bidder, usually some foreign scumbag. They would pay lots of money, usually seven figures. It was a stream of revenue for Fulcrum. It made Chuck sick to his stomach to even think about it.

Chuck quietly approached the house from the left. He put an improvised listening device he had made to the nearest window to see if there were any girls in the house. He heard the two men talking in the kitchen.

"So, when do we move the girls?" a tall man asked. Chuck decided to chance a look.

"In an hour. We already have a few buyers lined up." He smirked. Chuck recognized him as the man from his flash. Cletus May, the man in charge of this operation.

Chuck gritted his teeth. It would take too long for Casey and Sarah to get here, plus he didn't trust the local PD to actually handle the situation properly. All Fulcrum had to do was show some sort of government credentials and the police would leave. It was up to Chuck.

Chuck pulled his pair of 9mms out of his bag and attached silencers. He would have to act quickly and quietly. He worked his way around the house and found a window ajar. It was a bedroom. A quick look inside showed him nobody was there. Just as Chuck made his way down from the window into the room, a man entered and Chuck quickly took him down with a few shots to the chest. He still had a look of surprise on his face as Chuck approached his body. Chuck couldn't believe what he had done. It felt normal, natural, to kill that man. What had happened to him? Chuck took a few calming breaths before dragging the man into the closet.

He slowly left the bedroom and made his way along the hallway. He saw two men in the living room watching a game. He still heard the two men in the kitchen. At the base of the stairs, he heard more men upstairs. Chuck instantly got nervous. He should have done more recon before he entered the house. He decided to do this the old fashioned way, divide and conquer. Since they were already divided, all he had to do was conquer, which still posed many problems. His first priority was the men upstairs. Once they were taken out, all his problems would be on the ground floor.

As softly as he could, he climbed the wooden stairs. He stayed close to the railing, hoping being on a more supported part of the wood would keep it from creaking. Once he made it to the second floor, he made his way to the sound of a rowdy bunch of men. The first door on his right was padlocked and he pressed his ear to it. He could hear whispers and crying. The men were at the end of the hallway on the left. He could hear them laughing and joking.

"Oh, come on, you better not call with just a pair."

"Don't worry, I know you got nothing."

They were playing a game of cards. Chuck figured there were three, probably four in there. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. He was by the edge of the door, which was ajar. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw four men smoking cigars and drinking beers.

"I think I might sample some of the girls before we get rid of them," said one man. He appeared to be drunk.

Chuck had heard enough. He kicked the door open and started firing randomly at the group. The men turned with shocked expressions on their faces. They just sat there as bullets started ripping through their bodies. After emptying both clips, Chuck lowered his weapons and surveyed the damage. Two of the men were slumped over the table, having taken shots to the head. One man was on the ground groaning with pain. Chuck walked to over to him and hit him across the face with the butt of his gun to silence him.

Chuck then felt a searing pain in his left leg. The fourth man had managed to get his pocket knife out and had stabbed Chuck. Chuck tried to muffle his scream of pain, but knew that he had been heard. The man started to twist the blade but stopped when his heart finally gave out.

"Mirth, go see what they are doing upstairs," came a shout from below. Chuck limped over by the doorway, closing the door. He didn't bring any spare magazines. He hadn't thought this through at all. He quickly grabbed a gun from one of his victims. It was a Desert Eagle. Chuck couldn't help but smile a little. It was his favorite gun. He raised it, waiting for his prey to walk through the door. Chuck knew he would give away his position when he fired it, but he didn't have much of a choice.

A balding man entered the room and Chuck fired. It was much louder than Chuck anticipated. Chuck hit the man on the side of the head, causing the contents of the man's head to go all over the door and wall. Chuck looked at it and threw up on the floor. It was so messy, so violent. Chuck exited the room quickly after regaining control of himself.

He heard the screams of the girls as he passed their room. On the stairway, he met another Fulcrum agent. Chuck fired and hit him in the chest, causing the man to fall in a heap on the stairs. He heard more movement heading his way. In his haste to get down the stairs and take cover, he tripped and fell down the stairs, landing with a loud thud. Chuck quickly got up, but had to switch his gun hand. He was sure he had broken his right arm.

In the living room, Chuck took a defensive position behind the couch. He saw one of the men approach the stairs. Chuck fired at him, hitting him in the back but also covering the wall in bullet holes. He was so focused on the stairs that he didn't see May enter the living room from the other side. With a butcher's knife in hand, May made his move. Chuck saw the shadows change out of the corner of his eye. He moved to shield himself, but still felt the blade run along his back. Chuck let out a scream of agony, but managed to knock the knife out of May's hand. He then turned to face his attacker.

Chuck raised the gun, but May knocked it out his hand and landed a punch to Chuck's face. He also delivered a few body blows and kicked Chuck in the side of the leg, dropping him to one knee. Chuck pulled out a tranquilizer dart from a band on his right wrist. He always carried with him, no matter where he was. May was about to raise his leg to knee Chuck in the face with he felt a prick in his stomach. He looked down and saw Chuck had stuck him with a tranq dart. May felt the light start to fade and fell backwards.

Chuck eventually stood up. He was in tremendous pain. He couldn't actually believe he was alive. He had successfully taken out a nine man Fulcrum cell, on his own. Chuck felt a small amount of pride surging through him, but also a large amount of unease. He had killed eight men, who probably had families and friends. Sure, they were doing despicable things, but that's why jails were built. Was Chuck becoming the thing he was trying to run away from? Had his search for Orion claimed him of all that was good in him?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Chuck bound May and prepared him for his upcoming meeting with Casey. 'Have fun Casey,' he thought savagely. He was hoping Casey did a number on him. Salt Lake City was just one of many cities that Fulcrum had human trafficking rings, and Chuck was sure May about the other ones. He decided not to release the girls. Dealing with hysterical women wasn't something that he wanted to deal with.

He retrieved all his gear as he limped his way around the house. He decided to keep the Desert Eagle. Once he had everything, he pulled out a prepaid phone and made the call he had been making every time he flashed on bad guys.

"Chuck, is this you?" Sarah sounded both relieved and anxious at the same time.

"Sarah, 1212 Gordon Way, Salt Lake City, Utah. Owww, son of a bitch!" Chuck put weight on his left leg as he bent down to lower the phone in the bushes.

"Chuck, are you all right? Please, answer me. Chuck! CHUCK!?" But Chuck was already limping away and Sarah's screams went unanswered.

***

It was mid morning when Sarah and Casey showed up at the address. There were police cruisers and ambulances all over the place. They exited the government SUV, flashed their credentials and made their way over to the house.

"This one is different," Casey said aloud. They had gotten tips like this from Bartowski from all over the place. Detroit, Lexington, Dallas. It appeared Chuck was traveling all over the country. But Casey and Sarah were always the ones to take action. This was the first time that the fight was already over.

"Major Casey, you better see this," said the man in charge. He had just walked out of the house.

"What do we got inside?" Sarah asked nervously, afraid of what the answer might be.

"Well, we arrived after we got your call. We could hear the women screaming from outside the house. That's when I decided we go in. This is what we found."

The place looked like a warzone. There was blood, bullet holes and dead bodies everywhere. "Chuck?" Sarah said softly. She couldn't believe he had done this.

"Yeah, I know. We got eight dead and one alive."

"Eight?" Casey asked, his eyes widening in surprise. 'Had Bartowski really taken out eight guys, by himself?'

"Yeah," said the man in charge. He was shaking his head. "The guy who did this was wounded though. We followed a blood trail from upstairs to downstairs and then all over the place. Turns out this was a safe house where these guys would store the girls. Based on a phone call one of the deceased got, it looks like they were planning on selling them."

"Put a call into hospitals within 100 miles from here. If he was injured, he may seek medical attention," Casey informed Sarah.

Sarah walked back outside and made the call. She was still in shock. She couldn't believe what Chuck had done. This wasn't him. He wasn't an operative, taking out scores of enemy agents. So why had he acted?

Meanwhile, Casey was inside the poker room looking at the carnage. It was sloppy, not the work of a pro, yet it was efficient.

"We saved the best for last," the man said to Casey, a hard edge in his voice. Casey was wondering what else Chuck could have done.

They entered a bathroom and saw Cletus May, naked, bound to a chair, mouth covered in duct tape. He was looking at Casey with fear in his eyes. There was a piece of paper taped to his chest. Casey ripped it off, along with some of May's chest hair.

'_Casey, have fun._

_The Nerd'_

Casey let a bitter smile form on his face. He didn't blame Chuck for acting. What these guys were doing was evil, just evil. 'Don't worry Chuck. I will have fun.'

Sarah then walked in the bathroom and saw the naked man. She looked at Casey in confusion and he explained the situation. As she heard it, her scowl became more pronounced. She now understood Chuck and his actions. He wasn't big on violence, but with something like this, she knew he couldn't wait for the proper authorities. He had to save them. It was who he was.

"Whoever did this deserves a damn medal, if you ask me. Some of those girls were only 12 years old." The man in charge tried to keep his voice controlled but the anger in it was unmistakable.

"Don't worry," said Casey. "Now," said Casey, turning to May with a slight smile on his face, "my name is Major Casey. I look forward to speaking with you."

***

_**Boise City, Idaho**_

Chuck was in the Super 8 motel parking lot sitting in the Charger. He was trying not to fall asleep. He had been waiting for about three hours. He was exhausted. He applied pressure to his left leg and felt a searing pain. His eyes opened wide and he gritted his teeth. Anytime he felt drowsy he inflicted pain upon himself. 'She had better hurry,' he told himself, 'I don't know if I can torture myself anymore.'

Ten minutes later, a red Corvette pulled into the lot. Chuck perked up. It was the first car to enter since he had arrived. He looked out and saw Lily exit the car carrying a few large bags. She gave the black Charger one look and then went into the hotel. Three minutes later, Chuck's sat phone rang.

"Lily?"

"Come to the back of the motel, I'll let you in."

Chuck gathered his things. He looked at his surroundings. It was still early in the morning so there wasn't a bunch of foot traffic. He limped to the back of the hotel and saw Lily waiting for him. She took his bags from him and they entered her room. Chuck saw the bed and immediately wanted to fall asleep. He was so tired.

"Okay Chuck, get into the bathroom and put your clothes in here." She handed him a plastic bag. "We don't want people to know you were here."

Chuck smiled weakly at her, entered the bathroom and stripped down to his boxers. Since he had no injuries in the groinal area, he decided he would leave those on. Lily came in a minute later with a syringe in hand. She set it on the sink and grabbed his bag of bloody clothes.

"What, ah, what is that for?" Chuck asked her, eyeing the syringe with apprehension. He hated needles.

"It's Demerol. Trust me, you're going to want it. I have to clean your wounds and then stitch them up. It won't be fun."

"Will it knock me out?"

"It probably will, given how exhausted you are."

Chuck took the shower curtain down. "Here, put this on the bed. All my injuries are on my back side. If I'm going to be knocked out, I may as well be on a bed."

Lily smiled at him. She planned on doing it on the floor of the bathroom, since the tile floor would be easy to clean. She took the curtain and placed it on the bed. Chuck meandered out to the bed and gently lay face down.

"The shot, please," Chuck said, his voice muffled by the fact that his face was buried in the pillow. He turned his head as Lily administered the shot and he gently faded into unconsciousness.

For over an hour, Lily worked on Chuck's wounds. The leg wasn't too bad. Didn't appear to cut any arteries and wasn't too deep. She stitched it up quickly after pouring some hydrogen peroxide on it. She also looked at his wrist. It was swollen, but she didn't feel any bones sticking out at odd angles when she examined it. Her diagnosis was a strong sprain and she put a splint on it.

The gash on his back took longer. It was about five inches long, but not as deep as it could have been. Chuck had aggravated it when he was driving, so it was still somewhat bleeding. She first had to wait for the bleeding to stop and then she cleaned it. She was careful when stitching him, not wanting to have the wound start bleeding again.

After an hour's hard work, she was finally done aiding Chuck. She cleaned up and then sat down. Chuck's call had scared her. Roy had told her that Chuck wanted to escape the government and that was why Roy wanted to help. Lily was unnerved about helping Chuck. The farther away they kept from government officials, the better. But Roy's biweekly phone calls to Chuck, Chuck telling them the things he had done on the road, well, she liked it. She felt like she was making a difference again.

She had met Roy on assignment in Beijing. They both seemed pretty sure that they were trying to play each other, but that didn't stop them from falling in love. But when the order came to terminate Roy, she couldn't do it. He was sitting in his hotel room, waiting for her. He knew it was coming, yet he waited for her anyway. When she told him about the order, he told her about how he had gotten his orders to kill her a week earlier. He lied for her, said she took off, and requested to leave the CIA, which they allowed him to do. She let him escape and used his escape as a means to come to America. She found him and they began the rest of their lives.

A smile came to her face when she thought about it. But it faded when she took a look at the unfortunate man sleeping before her. This poor boy was being hunted by the NSA and CIA, but he still called to help them when he identified terrorists and gun runners. He was so unique. But he was too good for this life, the spy life, and she knew she would help him escape it. He said they would never stop hunting him until he found Orion. She was curious as to why he was so damn important, but didn't question him. Part of her didn't want to know.

After dozing for a few hours in the chair, she awoke to the sound of the bed creaking. Chuck was attempting to get up.

"Chuck, be careful. You don't want to tear your stitches," she commanded in a motherly tone.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," he said weakly as he made his way to the bathroom. Upon finishing his business, he stepped out and yawned. Then his stomach rumbled.

"Here, I brought some food," Lily said as she gave him a bag that contained some pop and some Little Debbie snacks. "Get your sugar up for now and then we can get some real food later."

Chuck inhaled the tasty cupcakes and downed the pop quickly. It didn't satisfy him, but it would suffice for now.

"Turn around. Let me see my handiwork." Chuck spun around. He hadn't torn his stitches and she knew it would heal okay. There would be a nice scar though. She turned him back around and noticed for the first time the scars on his front side. She saw the long cut across his chest, the stab wound by the armpit, and even the bullet wound in his leg.

"What happened to you?" Lily asked boldly.

"Bound and tortured," Chuck said through another yawn.

"Wish I could be so nonchalant about things like that," Lily said jokingly and grinned. Chuck grinned back. "Okay, get dressed. We're going back to Eugene. You need to recuperate."

Chuck opened his mouth to protest, but Lily cut him off. "Chuck, I didn't drive all night to sew you up and have you run off again. You need to get better before you can start your search again. Oh, and take these." She handed him a couple of pills. "Antibiotics, so nothing gets infected." Chuck put the pills into his mouth and dry swallowed them.

After finishing cleaning the room, the two gathered the supplies and left the room. Chuck grabbed some of the towels. He knew the car upholstery was covered in his blood and didn't feel like sitting in it. Lily threw the garbage in the trunk and the rest of her stuff in the back seat, as did Chuck. Chuck laid the towels on the seat, covering the mess he had made.

"You gonna hand me one?" Lily asked, looking at him.

"Aren't you taking the Vette back to Eugene?" Chuck responded curiously.

"Well, it ain't mine, so I don't mind leaving it here." Chuck just laughed. He didn't know why, but he found it hilarious. Maybe it was because there was so little that seemed funny nowadays he decided to enjoy humor whenever it presented itself. He handed her a towel and watched her get settled in. Once she was ready, he fired up the Charger and they left for Eugene.

***

_**Salt Lake City, Utah**_

Sarah and Casey were sitting in the conference room at the local NSA field office in Utah. They were awaiting Beckman's arrival before they started their briefing. Sarah was brooding over Chuck's actions. He had killed eight people. Many applauded his work, even she was somewhat proud of his actions. But her 'Chuck' had killed eight people. She knew how killing changed people. The more you did it, the easier it got. First was the man in the shipping container. Chuck handled it fairly well, she thought, but then his casual gunning down of Dick Johnson frightened her. He didn't even seem to care. And now this, eight people at once, like it was nothing. They brought this into his life and made it acceptable. She wondered when this was all over whether she would even recognize Chuck. Would his gentle eyes and goofy grin be replaced by a dead look and constant scowl? She shivered at the thought of her 'Chuck' being gone forever. Her thoughts were interrupted by General Beckman appearing on the screen.

"Well, it seems Mr. Bartowski is upping his game. As much as I hate to admit it, he is doing us a huge favor. This is the third Fulcrum cell that has been taken out because of him. Fulcrum now believes that the Intersect is mobile, shifting their focus from Burbank. Now it will be even harder for them to identify him. However, his success has started some unsettling rumors. It sounds as if Fulcrum is redoubling their efforts to create their own Intersect. Luckily for us, the only one who seems capable of engineering that is Orion. They have started their own search for him. It is now even more imperative we find Orion before anyone else. Now, has the hospital notice turned up anything?"

"No ma'am and May said he got Chuck across the back. Chuck will need care, we just don't know where he would get it," Casey responded.

"What about his sister, Dr. Bartowski?" asked Beckman.

"Highly unlikely," interjected Sarah. "Chuck will know we are watching her. He won't contact her."

"Increase surveillance anyway. I want him found…alive." Beckman ended the call.

"Where do you think he is?" asked Casey. He had seen her thinking earlier and he wondered if she had any ideas. After all, she was in love with him. He never fully understood why they never acted on those feelings. Casey had more than enough to get her reassigned, but she was a damn fine partner. As long as the team didn't fail because of their feelings, he wouldn't have cared, as long as they had enough sense to be secretive about it. He didn't need to see any more than he already did.

"Knowing Chuck," Sarah said, more to herself than as answer for Casey, "he's made friends. They're looking out for him. It's his nature. You can't help but like him." Casey smirked. "He will use that to his advantage. Not to mention the story about how the evil 'blonde'," she paused, a sad look forming on her face, "is ruining his life and he loves her despite it, people will want to help him."

"So, he's getting help. Fantastic," Casey grunted sarcastically. Sarah turned away, hoping she found him before this thing stole every bit of him that she loved.

***

**_Eugene, Oregon_**

"Chuck, wake up, we're home." Lily gently shook Chuck awake. After about two hours of driving, Chuck started to feel drowsy. He and Lily switched positions and he eventually dozed off.

Chuck wiped his eyes, yawned, and opened his door. He grabbed his gear while Lily grabbed hers and they made their way to the house. Lily explained they had a spare bedroom and that Chuck could stay there until he was ready to leave. Chuck wanted to leave at that exact moment, but knew it would never happen.

After dropping off his things, he made his way to the bathroom for a shower. He had to clean away the last day or so from himself. He still felt those Fulcrum agents' death on him. As the water poured over him, his thoughts turned to something Lily had said. 'He could start his search again when he was better.' He laughed bitterly. He hadn't started any search. Chuck was aimlessly driving around the country, stopping in random places, flashing on various people and calling the proper authorities. He was still stuck in his old life. Nothing had changed. Well, instead of protecting him, Sarah and Casey were now hunting him. That was about all that had changed. He still hated his situation and would give almost anything to find Orion to end this nightmare.

As usual when he was thinking about his life, he allowed his thoughts to turn to Sarah. Her screams as he dropped the phone were hard to ignore. He wasn't sure what would happen if they ever found him. Would he fight his way out, or just come willingly? He shook his head to try to shake away those thoughts. His thoughts then turned to Ellie, Morgan, and Awesome. He tried to hold back the tears but he couldn't help it. They started falling freely. He knew they were better off with him gone but that didn't make being gone any easier. He thought back to that e-mail. Not only had that ruined his life, it had ruined the lives of everyone around him. Ellie lost a brother while Awesome and Morgan lost friends. His anger towards Bryce reached eruption level, as it usually did whenever he started his thought process in the shower. It was always the same. Sarah, Ellie, then Bryce. The confusion, the self pity and heartache, then finally the anger.

Stepping into the dining room after allowing his anger to dissipate, he saw Roy and Lily enjoying some fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Roy pushed a seat open, and Chuck sat down. For five minutes, they sat in silence as they ate, each glancing at one another every now and then.

Chuck finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Look, I'll leave tomorrow morning. You guys have done too much for me. You're only going to end up in jail or worse for this. I need to leave before any more people get caught up in my path of destruction."

Lily grinned at Roy, who was opening his wallet and pulling out some money.

"What are you doing?" Chuck asked curiously.

"She bet me you'd say you were leaving before dinner was over. I thought maybe you would hold out for at least a half hour. I guess I was wrong." He had a smirk on his face.

"Look, I'm serious. I need to go." Lily and Roy started laughing. They couldn't help it.

"Chuck, why are you so reluctant to let people help you?" Lily was gazing at him.

"Well, I…" Chuck didn't know what to say. 'Just tell them, moron, tell them everything.' He took a deep breath. "I always used to trust people. It was a big thing with me. I generally believed people were good at heart. But now that I've been doing this crap for the government, well, my faith in people has dropped somewhat. Like, just last night. I was trying to stop a rogue cell that was selling teenage girls to foreign douche bags. It was bad. And this was just one particular branch. They are doing this all over the place. I've been on my own for the last three months and I've had to call my handlers to let them know about possible terrorists, weapons smugglers, mob bosses. It's just my world is filled with evil nowadays. The less I can do to let decent people get caught up in this as collateral damage, the better." Chuck put his head down. The casual tone in which he told his story made everything sound worse to him. 'This is normal now. Dinner conversation constitutes swapping tales of terrorist activities.' He just shook his head.

Roy and Lily were looking at him, studying him. They could see how broken he really was, how depressed all this had made him.

Roy started first. "Look, Chuck I know it's hard. We've done this before too." Chuck looked at Lily in surprise. She just smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. Hard to believe she was caught up in a web of espionage. But that's how we met. We were on assignment. They started asking too much of both of us, so we got out. But there is love out there Chuck, and you'd be surprised where you can find it." He smiled fondly at his wife.

"Chuck," Lily further added, "we want to help. But we need to know more to help you. I know it's hard to trust. Believe me. When you walked through that door, the first thing I thought about was how I was going to kill you. But Roy told me your situation. Explained how you had no choice and what they were asking of you. This spy work is unforgiving and it will use you up until you're dead. Let us help. Let us show you there are still decent people in this world."

Chuck sighed. They had chiseled away the little barrier he had been attempting to put around himself. He understood why Sarah had done it, but was inwardly happy he hadn't allowed it to become too big. He wasn't isolating himself to protect those he cared for, he was imprisoning himself in this shitty world.

"Well, I guess I may as well start from the beginning. Better put some coffee on, it's going to be awhile." Roy and Lily smiled at him and he started to talk at length about everything. Stanford, Bryce, Sarah, all of it. For more than an hour, they listened with rapt attention as Chuck recounted his tales. They went through a myriad of emotions as Chuck spoke. Sorrow, pity, anger, happiness, Chuck's tale had it all.

"And that brings me to now. If I can find Orion, I can get the Intersect out of my head. With the Intersect out I can live the life I want, or at least a normal life." The life he wanted included Sarah and their kids. He knew that would probably never happen.

"Chuck, well that, umm, that was quite a story." Lily was appalled. She couldn't believe all that he had been through. And Sarah, well, Sarah was interesting. It was clear she had some feelings for Chuck, real feelings. But she was also all about the job. She could understand Chuck's frustration. He still loved her, that much was evident. The look in his eyes when he talked about her, the smile on his face, made it obvious.

"Look, I know you probably don't want to hear this," Roy started, "but I think we need to train you a little. I mean, you aren't much of spy. As cheesy as it sounds, in order to free yourself from espionage, you first have to become a spy."

Chuck let out a small laugh. "Well, I can't say some tips wouldn't hurt. I think my vast amount of injuries clearly state I need improvement. So, what will we do?"

"Well, I still work, but Lily here can handle most of it. But it won't be fun. Chuck, are you sure you're ready for this? I mean, you could just stay off the grid. It's possible you know."

Chuck shook his head. "No, I don't want to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I want to do this."

Roy and Lily looked at each other. "Rest up for a few days, and then it can start. You're going to hate us Chuck, I know you will. I hated some of my instructors at the academy. But focus on your ultimate goal. Make that your motivating factor. It will guide you through the darkest parts of this."

***

**_April 15, 2009 Eugene, Oregon_**

Chuck was packing his bags. He felt like a new man. He glanced up from packing and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't believe how much he had changed. His beard was now a constant. He actually had grown to like it, although having to trim it every few days was a bit of a hassle. His cheeks had hollowed a bit. He also was keeping his hair short. Not completely buzzed, there still enough to run his fingers through. He also looked at his physique. Six weeks hard training had giving some definition to his arms and chest, and while not a true six pack, Chuck's abs weren't terrible.

Roy had been right about one thing, Chuck had grown to greatly dislike him and Lily during training. He could never hate them, but there were moments where he felt like doing things he knew he'd regret. When it got real bad, he just focused on Orion and getting the Intersect out. Roy and Lily had been unrelenting because his enemies would be the same.

That obstacle course they had constructed for him made Chuck puke every time he did it. God he hated it. But he couldn't deny how it had pushed him physically and mentally. They were always adding little things to spice it up, to keep Chuck on his toes. His hand to hand combat was good. He wasn't a great fighter and probably would never be. He would rely more on proper planning and execution than skill to accomplish his mission. His weapon training was also very good. He was competent with the handguns, but they taught him to use a sniper rifle, shotguns, and various other automatic weapons. Chuck wanted to be prepared if he had to use a weapon that wasn't his. He also was taught how to seduce by Roy. By the end, they had a competition to see who would wind up with the most numbers after a night at the local bar. Chuck was a little timid at first, but when he found his confidence, he was a real ladies' man. His eyes, along with his smile, seemed to melt most women. Add that to his new found charisma and Roy stood no chance.

Their war games scenarios were as much fun as Chuck had during those six weeks. Lily went off into the woods and Chuck had to find her and 'kill' her. It was part of his stealth and tracking instruction. They were carrying paintball guns. Lily was unmerciful at first, pelting Chuck as often as she wanted without him even knowing where she was. But towards the end, Chuck developed what he dubbed his 'spy-der sense'. After constantly being pelted, his senses had finally heightened. Learning to finally trust his instincts, he was able to know when things didn't feel right. It led to his eventual defeating of Lily, which she didn't take to kindly.

He studied his reflection for another moment. He finally felt like a spy. It scared him a little, thinking about what he was going to be using his skills for, but he knew it had to be done. He grabbed his gear and left the bedroom he had called home for the past six weeks.

"Well," said Chuck standing in the living room, "it's time to get back to it."

Lily was smiling proudly at Chuck. She remembered how terrible and weak he was to begin, but he had surprised her by how far he had come. He had a fierce determination to succeed that was only matched by her determination to push him as far as possible. As much as she hated to admit it she was coming to see him as something of a surrogate son. It felt so good to teach him, worry about him and care about him.

"I believe you're ready Chuck. I hope you find Orion and get that thing out of your head." She was trying not to tear up. She wanted him to succeed so bad it hurt. "Oh, Roy says to stay in touch and that you are free to stop by anytime. Just make sure you call first."

"Don't worry," Chuck said, giving her a dazzling smile. She couldn't help but smile back at him, feeling a little giddy.

"Ha, I still got it," he quipped. Lily gave him a playful swat on the arm. "Thank you so much. I'll never forget this, ever." He stooped and gave her a big hug. After the embrace, he grabbed his gear, threw it in the Charger, and drove off.

***

**_April 25, 2009 Undisclosed Location_**

He didn't normally get on the computer. He used it very infrequently. He didn't want them to find him, but he was curious as to what they were doing. Today's information gathering was a little unnerving. He learned he was being hunted by just about everyone. Fulcrum, CIA, NSA, and some rogue agent. The rogue agent piqued his curiosity. He tried to hack into his file, but there was nothing on him, just a serial number in the CIA database. This fueled his curiosity even more. 'They hadn't been successful, had they?' he asked himself. If this man was looking with such ferocity, then he really wanted that damn thing out. He couldn't blame him for that. He wanted to help but with this much heat on him, he had to play it cool.

He hacked into the DNI mainframe and falsified some data stating he could be found in Oklahoma City. Fingerprint on some stolen tools, eyewitness identifying someone who met his description. He'd let the CIA and NSA fight Fulcrum. 'Let them kill each other,' he thought bitterly. They had already ruined his life. He also decided he needed find out more about this rogue agent.

***

**_April 27, 2009 Somewhere Near Kansas City_**

"Chuck, my source came through. Said there is a good chance that Orion is hiding out in Oklahoma City. His fingerprint popped up on some stolen goods. You better get your ass down there."

"Shit," responded Chuck, looking at his watch. "I'm about five hours out. Casey and Sarah will beat me there." He sighed.

"Look Chuck, I know you care about them, but sometimes it has to be done."

Chuck contemplated for a moment. "I'll ambush them when they are moving him. I know what I have to do."

***

**_Ft. Meade, Maryland_**

"Agents Walker and Casey, you have your assignment. Go to Oklahoma City and secure Orion. Fulcrum probably will be on their way as well. And make sure you keep an eye out for Bartowski. We know how much he wants Orion. There's no telling what he might do."

"Yes General," they responded in unison. Both left her office and started walking down the hall. Once in the elevator, they finally spoke to each other.

"Walker, what are you going to do if your boy toy shows up?" Casey asked.

"I honestly don't know," she responded without looking at Casey. "You?"

Casey sighed. "I have no idea."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: First off, apologies to keeping you waiting so long. I sent my beta this chapter as well as the next chapter together. However, he ended up doing the later chapter first and this one kind of got lost in the shuffle. He did this real quick once he realized his mistake. That's why I'm able to get this one up today. The next one should be up in a couple days as well since it has already been looked at. Big thanks to TheJusta for doing this one so quickly. Any mistakes are still mine. As for the story, sorry to leave it semi-cliffy there last time. This chapter won't end with the suspense of the last one. There is also a Sarah/Chuck meeting in this one, so there is that for you guys. I loved all the reviews, so please, keep 'em coming. Standard disclaimer of me not owning Chuck still applies._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 6

_**July 19, 2010 Flagstaff, Arizona**_

Sarah and her team pulled up on the scene. There were flashing lights, ambulances, government vehicles, and tons of guys in suits. Sarah exited her SUV and instructed her team to stay seated. This wouldn't take long. She flashed her badge and started looking around for Casey. She finally saw him sitting in the back of an ambulance receiving medical treatment. She was shocked when she saw his face, two black eyes and a broken nose. Chuck had given him the raccoon look. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"You've looked better, Major," Sarah said as she approached him, a small smile on her face.

"Cute, Walker. What are you doing here? This is an NSA operation."

She gave him a withering look. "We both are looking for him and this was his last known location." She looked around. "What happened?"

"That son of a bitch happened, that's what." Casey angrily sounded off. "He took out three of my men, injured about half a dozen more." Casey shook his head. "He's changed Walker. He's not the same kid from Burbank. He's cold blooded now."

Sarah stared at the ground. She felt guilty for what Chuck had become.

Casey continued, "We fed some false information to a source that would lead Bartowski here. We waited for him to show up. We never saw him arrive, so we assumed we beat him here. I guessed he would be hiding out in that building," he pointed to the only decently sized building to the north, "so we came here," Casey pointed to the building right next to them, "to set up surveillance on him. Well, he was already in there, watching that same building we were planning to watch. He must have been waiting for us to nab Orion, then he would ambush us. It was chaos when we came in there. He just started gunning down my agents, blowing out their knees. I managed to clip him and that must have pissed him off because he was taking kill shots afterwards. Three shots to the chest for each 'em." Casey was shaking his head. "He had me, Walker. I was staring down the barrel of his 9mm. He just grinned and then knocked me out. He was nice enough to call local LEO's and let them know we were injured though," Casey finished bitterly.

He paused. "Beckman has issued a termination order. She believes he's too much of a wild card now. Knows he won't work with us even if we get him."

Sarah stood still for the entire story. She couldn't believe how Chuck had become so efficient and so emotionless. She looked away, hoping that some portion of Chuck's humanity still remained intact.

"Sarah," Casey said softly, which caused her look at him, "what happened in Charlottesville? I've heard rumors but the CIA is keeping a tight lid on that one."

Sarah blanched. Evidently, they weren't keeping a tight enough lid on it. "Casey, it was the biggest mistake of my life. You know about Miami, right?" Casey nodded. "He told me to stop looking. He said he was going off grid for good. I couldn't leave it alone. I had to find him. I had to be with him, to save him. It had been ten months and there wasn't a single whisper about him." She shook her head, starting to get choked up. "I turned him into this," she said, motioning around to ambulances and body bags.

"What happened?" Casey repeated in the gentlest tone he could.

Sarah took a deep breath to steady herself and started to speak.

***

**_April 27, 2009 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma_**

Chuck had been walking towards his destination for about 20 minutes. Although he hated having to leave the car so far away, he couldn't risk it being seen by Casey or Sarah. Chuck felt a sense of thrill as he approached his destination. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was making him feel alive, almost happy about what was going to happen. He was looking forward to some action.

Walking in the afternoon sunlight, Chuck was wearing his sunglasses with his spy backpack on. He was looking at his iPod, trying to make sure he wasn't being followed. He pulled out a GPS which told him he was just a few blocks from his target. He stopped and looked around. He saw an abandoned building about 50 feet to his left. It would be facing the left side of the warehouse where Orion was supposedly hiding. He decided he would take up a position inside. It would give him a great view of everything surrounding it. He knew the likely route that Casey and Sarah would take when they got him, so when they nabbed him Chuck could quickly move on to his final position for the ambush.

As Chuck started to cross the street, he was nearly hit by a car flying by. He looked at the license plate and flashed. It was a Fulcrum car. He watched it pull up to the building he was going to enter. He watched a woman get out, go to her trunk, and pull out a large plastic briefcase. Chuck guessed it housed a sniper rifle. Chuck looked around to make sure there weren't any more Fulcrum agents approaching before quickly following the woman into the building.

He instantly pulled out his thermal goggles and put them on. Since the building was empty, it made locating the Fulcrum agent easy. She was on the tenth floor. Chuck quickly moved just outside the room when the agent was making her sniper's nest. Chuck could hear her getting everything ready. Chuck pulled out two weapons, his tranq gun and his 9mm with silencer attached. He settled for the 9mm. He didn't want to kill the woman, but he couldn't risk being identified if Fulcrum found the agent before Sarah and Casey. He clicked off the safety and quietly opened the door.

The Fulcrum agent had the gun sitting on a table, pointing out a window. She was sitting down and looking into the scope. It was perfectly setup for the warehouse. Chuck raised the gun and put two slugs in the woman's back. Chuck grabbed her quickly before she could accidently knock over the sniper setup as she fell. He lay the woman gently on the floor and took his position in the chair. Chuck brought his eye to the scope to have a look.

He saw the warehouse. He started looking around ever so slightly. It didn't look right. The warehouse was the worst place to hole up. There was only one way in or out. He saw movement in the windows of other buildings surrounding the warehouse. 'Oh shit,' thought Chuck. 'This is a trap. Fulcrum lured them here saying Orion could be found here.' He quickly pulled out a prepaid phone to call and warn Sarah, but he saw their vehicles approach the warehouse. Deciding he had to act, he fired a round into the hood of their car as it had come to a stop just outside the warehouse entrance.

***

Casey and Sarah were getting ready to exit their SUV when the bullet hit the car. Casey gunned it and drove the SUV into the warehouse as more bullets peppered the car, some flying through the windows and nearly striking the occupants. Once inside, it was easy for them to tell it was a trap. There was no workshop or anything that Orion may have had. They had walked into a Fulcrum setup. As they exited their vehicle, they saw two more SUVs take up positions outside the warehouse and five agents spilled out of each car, one holding a grenade launcher.

"Well, this is not going to end well," Casey grunted to Sarah as they tried to fortify their surroundings for the impending attack. The rest of their team pulled out their assault rifles, waiting for the order to fire.

***

Once Chuck shot the car, the other snipers followed suit. The dead woman's radio chirped, "What the hell are you doing Alexis? You were supposed to wait until they exited their vehicles."

Chuck ignored it and started looking for the other snipers. He saw one located on the opposite side of the warehouse and took him out. Chuck watched as red filled his field of vision in the scope. He knew there was probably one facing the opening of the warehouse, but since Chuck couldn't see him, he knew he couldn't be seen as well. He focused his attention on the men exiting their vehicles.

***

Sarah and Casey knew this would end badly. They were outnumbered and pinned down. Casey quickly called for backup but it would be too late before they arrived. Their one stroke of luck had been the guy who hit their car as they were about to stop which allowed them to take shelter in the warehouse. Sarah peeked out and saw a man with a grenade launcher aiming to fire.

"Take cover!" she yelled.

They waited for the explosion. It never came. She looked back outside and saw the man lying dead on the ground, his grenade launcher in pieces. Some Fulcrum agents were firing up at a building a few blocks away. 'Someone is helping us,' she thought. 'CHUCK!'

"Casey," she yelled, "I think Chuck is here. I think he was the one who first shot at us."

"He shot at us!? I'll kill him." Casey looked livid. He never imagined Bartowski would try to kill them. He knew he wanted Orion, but he didn't think that he would ever hurt him or Sarah.

"He tipped us off, Casey, allowed us to take cover." She yelled as the bullets were starting to whiz by.

The next few minutes were chaos. Chuck was laying suppressing fire for Sarah and Casey who were carefully taking out Fulcrum agents one at a time. Sarah watched as a few Fulcrum agents' heads exploded as Chuck took them out and one of their own was gunned by a sniper. Casey had lobbed a few grenades at the Fulcrum vehicles and those who weren't already dead were blown to bits. Luckily, their backup arrived on site. The enemy sniper had been located and taken out. The remaining Fulcrum agents surrendered when they saw they were finally outmatched.

***

Chuck saw the carnage close up thanks to the scope. Body parts were lying everywhere and the pavement was covered in blood. He resisted the urge to vomit a few times. He was getting too used to the sight of blood. Normally, he would have passed out by now. When he saw the backup had arrived, he quickly gathered his gear, including the sniper rifle, and left. He knew if Sarah and Casey didn't have his position, they soon would, so he had to leave quickly.

***

Once Sarah saw the backup arrive, she quickly jumped in the SUV and drove towards where she knew Chuck was. She arrived in a flurry, nearly hitting a man with her car as she came to a stop outside the building on the sidewalk. He gave her a shocked stare, but she ignored him and went into the building to look for Chuck.

***

Chuck had just started walking down the street to the Charger when an SUV came out of nowhere and nearly hit him. He saw the blonde get quickly out of the car. 'Sarah!' He tried not to be obvious but he was shocked she had found him so quickly, so all he did was stare at her, mouth slightly open. However, she completely ignored him and rushed into the building, gun drawn. Chuck regained his senses and quickly scurried away.

He was on the road in less than ten minutes, having run back to his car. He quickly put his foot to the floor to drive away as far as possible. He knew they would put up roadblocks. He would either have to stay close or take as many back roads as possible.

***

15 minutes later, Sarah was back by the warehouse. It looked as if someone had painted the concrete red, there was so much blood everywhere. She spotted Casey talking animatedly on the phone. She quickly went up to him. He hung up the phone and looked at her, a strange expression on his face.

"So…?"

"He was gone when I got there. Looks like he stumbled upon a Fulcrum agent's sniper's nest. Chuck took her out, and then saved our asses. I think we should put roadblocks up. He's not that far ahead of us."

Casey nodded and made the appropriate phone calls. He hung up again and this time he addressed Sarah.

"General Beckman says you're reassigned. She wants this investigation run by the NSA. I'm sorry Sarah." Casey looked liked it. He started to think as he walked away from her. She was the best partner he'd ever had. This pissing match between the CIA and NSA had cost him that. He had been listening for the last ten minutes how the CIA's involvement had led them into a Fulcrum trap. The moles were in the CIA office. Blah, blah, blah. He was sure Sarah would be hearing the same story when she talked to the director of the CIA.

Sarah was shocked as she watched Casey walk away. She couldn't believe Beckman would reassign her. Just then her phone rang. "Walker, secure."

"Bennett, secure. Agent Walker, I need you to report to Langley ASAP for an emergency face to face."

"But sir, I should stay here and keep looking for Chuck." Sarah protested.

"Get here ASAP, that's an order."

***

**_April 28, 2009 Langley, Virginia_**

"Agent Walker. The CIA and NSA will no longer be working together to find the Intersect."

"But sir…" Sarah started, but was cut off by a raise of Director Bennett's hand.

"I said we will no longer be working together. I did not say that we won't be looking for him."

Sarah heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn't let Casey find him first. She had to do it. She had to save him. "Sir, I wa…"

Director Bennett interrupted. "I know you want the assignment." He paused. "Can I trust that you won't let your personal entanglement with the subject interfere with your search?"

"Sir, I want to find him. It's my fault he's in this mess to begin with."

"You are aware that when we find him, he will be trained to be a field agent?"

"What?" Sarah responded in disbelief. "He's not cut out for this work."

"Really," stated Bennett with raised eyebrows. "He took a whole Fulcrum cell in Utah, which crippled one of their streams of revenue to fund their operations. He has called in numerous tips to us. He saved you and Major Casey yesterday. And he has been able to elude both the CIA and NSA for four months. I would say he is plenty capable for this line of work."

Sarah opened her mouth to protest but found no words to contradict the director. It was true, Chuck had done extraordinary things, and with no formal training whatsoever. She did come up with an argument against field work.

"But he's too valuable for the field. He can't work alone."

"He won't be." Sarah had a knowing look on her face. "Yes, that's correct. You would be his partner. You two have worked together long enough that you are one person I feel he would be most comfortable with."

Sarah thought for a moment. Part of her was initially intrigued by the idea to go to exotic locations and work with Chuck. It would be like with Bryce, but only better because she truly loved Chuck. 'But,' she told herself, 'that's not why you love him.' She loved his kind eyes, his goofy grins and his stupid jokes. There would be none of that on missions, just Chuck always risking his life for her and likewise. They would probably be at each other's throats about it. She could never work with Chuck. She didn't want a spy's life with Chuck, she wanted a normal one. The house, the suburbs, the family. She smiled as those thoughts drifted across her mind as they tended to do when she thought of Chuck.

"Glad to see you like the idea," said Bennett with encouragement, obviously misreading her smile. "Now it is imperative we find him before the NSA. They'll stick him in a bunker and force him to do what they want. He would be wasted there. I want him. Now go and get him."

***

**_Baton Rouge, Louisiana_**

"Hey Chuck, I got some good news."

It was Roy, and he sounded happy. "It better be better than that last tip you gave me. Almost got me killed and Sarah was just inches away from capturing me." Chuck sounded bitter.

"No, it's not about Orion. The CIA and NSA are now conducting their own separate searches for you. Each thinks the other is responsible for the leak that led to the Fulcrum trap. They aren't playing nice anymore."

"That sounds like terrible news. Now I gotta worry about Sarah and Casey separately, rather than collectively."

"Why? You don't have the power of two agencies working together to find you. That should help."

Chuck laughed. "Hell, there weren't two agencies looking for me. It was just Beckman and the NSA. Sarah worked for the CIA, but the NSA was running things."

"Oh. Well, that does sound bad then."

"Thanks for the warning. I know how Casey will operate, so he will be easy to avoid. Sarah's a different story. I don't know what to expect from her. All I know is it will be outside the norm."

Roy, sensing Chuck's doubt, interjected, "Look, you don't have to find Orion. Just stay off the grid. It may not be the life you wanted, but it damn sure beats the life you're living."

"No," Chuck added with steely reserve, "I want this fucking thing out."

"Okay, Chuck. I'll call whenever I get word. Lily sends her best regards and says to stay safe."

"I will. If I ever back up your way, I'll stop by. Bye Roy."

***

**_June 14, 2009 Miami, Florida_**

"Goddamn it! This is really starting to piss me the hell off," Chuck angrily spouted as he climbed out a window of a three story house. He tied some bed sheets together and made a serviceable rope as he quickly rappelled down to the ground from the third floor.

He had just left six dead bodies back inside. It was another Fulcrum cell. Someone was leading him to these places but he had no idea who. That was the third Fulcrum cell he encountered where Orion had appeared on the radar. Could Beckman be playing him? Just having him do all the grunt work and letting Casey take the credit. 'Seems like the kind of thing she would do, the hag,' Chuck thought viciously. Roy didn't seem the type to mess with him. Nothing in Chuck's flashes on the agents indicated any type of double or triple agent status. So who was leading him to these places and why?

He was packing up his things and was getting ready to leave when he heard someone approach. He was sure he wiped out the entire cell. Chuck hid behind some bushes and prepared his tranq gun. Chuck was ready for some answers and whoever was approaching may have some. He put on his thermal goggles and watched as the person entered the house through a side window. 'Must be Casey, making sure I did a good job.'

***

Sarah Walker crept along the side of the house. She had an uneasy feeling someone was watching her, but couldn't see anyone. She jimmied the window open, pulled out her gun, and made her way in. There were two bodies in the room she had entered, both dead with gunshot wounds to the head. 'He's already been here.' She did a quick sweep of the house. Like all the others, Chuck had a take no prisoner mentality. He just wiped everyone out. Then he would call, say who they were and what they did, then leave the phone for the NSA or CIA to track. She opened the front door and stepped out of the house when she felt a prick on her neck. She saw a figure approach as she fell unconscious.

***

'Time to get some answers,' thought Chuck triumphantly as he made his way to his victim. When he saw who it was, his heart sank. 'Sarah, what are you doing here?' A little agitated that he knocked Sarah out, he quickly scooped her up and looked for her car. He used the electronic locking system on her keys to locate it. Unsurprisingly, he found it parked near his. He allowed himself a small smile. They were now thinking alike.

He put her in the passenger seat of his car and started to rifle through her car. He found the card key for her hotel room. 'Always the best,' he thought as her hotel was that of the rich. 'Guess it beats slumming it in dirty motels with even dirtier clientele that I've been living in.' He gathered up her things and placed them in the car.

He drove over to her hotel and parked at the back. The hotel card said room 1020. He grabbed Sarah and started to carry her towards the back door. Once inside, he quickly found the stairs. He started the long walk up ten stories with Sarah cradled in his arms. After ten minutes, Chuck had worked up a good sweat but had made it successfully into her room. He laid her on the bed while going though his pockets to make sure he had the proper equipment. He then left the room to get the rest of her things.

***

When Sarah woke up, she found herself bound to a chair in a dark room. She looked around trying to see where she was. Her legs and arms were bound to each arm and leg of the chair. As if that wasn't enough, someone had tied her waist the back of the chair and her thighs to the seat of chair. She struggled but it was useless. It was then she noticed she was in her underwear and her favorite nightshirt, the Stanford tee she took from Chuck.

"I'm going to turn on the light, so ready your eyes," came a familiar voice.

She half closed her eyes and said softly, "Chuck?" The light came on. She was in her bedroom, placed in front of her bed.

She let her eyes adjust and when she finally had them completely open, she saw a smiling man in front of her. He looked familiar. She had seen him somewhere. The short hair, the beard, the sunglasses.

"I'm hurt you don't recognize me, or at least this version of me." He was still smiling.

Her eyes opened wide as realization hit her. "Chuck, it's you. You were the one I almost hit in Oklahoma City."

Chuck's smile grew even wider and he allowed himself a small chuckle. "Yes, that was me." He took the sunglasses off so he could meet her gaze. They still had that sparkle they had back in Burbank. Seeing her had momentarily made him forget all he had done and still had to do.

She struggled against her binds. "Isn't this a little extreme?" She had a small grin on her face. She wasn't sure what he planning on doing to her. Being bound suggested nothing good.

"For super agent Sarah Walker, I knew I had to be extra careful. Sorry I undressed you to your skivvies, but I know how well you hide your weapons, and well. Like I said, I had to be extra careful."

She didn't care about that. A part of her was a little excited that Chuck had went over almost every inch of her, closely examining her body.

"Still in great shape I see," Chuck added. "And not a scratch on you. I must say, for all you have done, that's quite an accomplishment." His smile didn't quite match his eyes.

"Chuck, please let me go. I promise I won't do anything." She didn't know what she would do, but she never liked being out of control and Chuck was definitely in control.

Chuck gave yet another smile, but it was nowhere near genuine.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need some answers and I think you can help me."

She swallowed. There was no way he was doing what it sounded like he was going to do. "You're going to torture me?" She was scared that Chuck would even consider it, but she had seen him like this before. He was in full Carmichael mode.

"Oh, heavens no. I know torture is worthless on you. You are too well trained. Plus, I could never do that to you. Is that really what you think of me?" He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm not a sadist. I just want to ask you questions and hopefully you will answer them."

He moved behind her and took a seat on the bed. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she tensed. "Really Sarah, I frighten you that much?" He was somewhat surprised by her actions.

"You're not the same person that left me in Burbank."

"You are probably right," Chuck added truthfully. "I don't know if he exists anymore."

He started massaging her shoulders and neck. She couldn't help but moan at his touch. It was wonderful, just like Burbank. Chuck was smiling. "Why were you here tonight?"

Sarah's eyes were closed as she was enjoying Chuck's touch. It felt so calming, so right. "I was looking for Orion. Our latest intel put him here."

Chuck frowned, but continued working her on her traps. "You don't find it suspicious that every Orion lead turns out to be just a Fulcrum cell?"

"Well, I never really, oh, a little lower and to the left…yeah, right there, thought about it. That does seem strange. You think someone is feeding us misinformation to take out Fulcrum cells?"

"That would be my assumption. Hmmm, this doesn't make any sense. Who could be doing this?"

"I don't know. It's not us. We don't know much about Fulcrum's operations. Neither does the NSA."

"Then that must mean it's…" 'Orion,' Chuck finished in his head. That would explain it. Roy had said something about Fulcrum building their own Intersect. They would need Orion to help finish it. He was using them to take out Fulcrum and get them off his tail.

"What, Chuck?" Sarah asked lazily, still enjoying the massage.

"Oh, nothing." He continued to massage her back. He heaved a sigh. "I really miss this, even if it was just a cover."

Sarah's eyes opened. Chuck had just taken her back to Burbank, his couch, to when things were the way they were supposed to be. It felt wonderful. He had completely disarmed her. He could always break through her barriers but now he had managed it with just a massage. 'How pathetic am I?' she thought viciously.

Chuck felt her tense up again. "You know, if want me to work these knots out, you need to relax."

"Chuck stop. I know what you're doing. You're making me feel comfortable. Making me feel like we're back in Burbank. It's not going to work anymore."

Chuck stopped and spun her chair around so he was facing her. She looked angry and he was smiling. "Still, was that the best interrogation ever or what?"

Sarah couldn't help but grin at him. No matter what he did, she would always love him. This had convinced her of that.

"Chuck, please, untie me."

He shook his head. "Afraid I can't do that. There are still a few things I would like to know." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, not spy related."

She sensed his demeanor change as he finished his statement. This wasn't about his search, it was about something more personal.

"Fine, shoot?"

"Has my sister married Awesome yet?" She didn't say anything. "Come on, I know you're watching her every more even though I'm gone." She noticed a bit of displeasure at the invasion of his sister's privacy.

"Yes, they got married." Chuck smiled a sad smile. He missed her terribly and had missed the biggest day of her life. 'Goddamn Intersect.' Sarah continued, "She's also pregnant."

"What?" Chuck went bug eyed. "I'm going to be an Uncle?" He was so excited he wanted to jump up and down on the bed.

"No, you aren't," Sarah said brutally, "You won't go back. You won't be part of that kid's life in any way, shape, or form."

Chuck's momentary happiness was extinguished by Sarah's comment. He gave her a hard glare before sadly adding, "Probably better off without me. I'd only bring trouble."

"Chuck, please, untie me. I can bring you in. The CIA doesn't want you in a bunker. They'll let you stay a free man."

"Free?" Chuck asked skeptically. "What does my freedom entail exactly?"

"They want you to be an agent. You would work with me until we find out how to get the Intersect out."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "Well, although we would eventually sleep together, I think I'll pass."

Sarah was hurt by Chuck's comment. Angrily, she yelled, "Chuck, what can I do to make you realize that I love you? That I want what's best you? What? Tell me!"

Chuck stared at her for a moment. "Find me when this is all over. Tell me all this when I am just Chuck, not the Intersect." He went to grab another tranquilizer. It was getting too difficult to talk to her. He didn't trust himself to deny her requests when she was making claims like that.

Sarah saw him move over to his things. "Please, Chuck, please don't do this. Work with me. We can do this together."

"Sarah," Chuck stated forcefully as he turned her back around to face him, "You really think they are going to let me go? You really think that they care about me?"

"I do, Chuck. Don't you see that? Let me help you."

Chuck was getting frustrated. "Dammit Sarah! I can't trust you." Sarah was taken aback. Her eyes started to water over. 'Chuck doesn't love me anymore,' she thought sadly. 'I waited too long and now look what he has become.'

"See, this is exactly what I mean. How can I trust the tears when I've seen them used as part of a mission? How can I believe your emotions are real when I see you fake them all the time? Tell me how I can trust you."

Tears were falling down her cheeks. "I don't know, Chuck. I just know that I love you and want to help you." She started crying harder. It started breaking through Chuck's resolve a little.

"Here," he said. He set a box of tissues on her lap. Then he grabbed a pair scissors to cut an arm tie. "Don't try anything." He clipped the tie and backed away. She took the tissue and started wiping away the tears. She didn't even think about trying to free herself, not that Chuck would have let her. He was still holding a tranq dart.

Chuck stood there and watched her. It was horrible to see her like that. He'd never felt so sorry in all his life. Even if it all was a ruse, he hated being the source of someone's tears, especially Sarah's. He shook his head. He would never find Orion. Orion was sending him to do his bidding, just like all the others before him. He was done with it, done with it all.

Chuck pulled up a chair so that they were sitting face to face. He wanted to study her face, her smell, everything. It was the last time that it would be more than just a memory. He took a hand and ran it across her cheek. She looked up, eyes still watery. He smiled when he looked at those blue orbs. He had been hers since day one, of that he was convinced. Then he took her hand in his. He would want to remember her soft touch, how lovely it was. His eyes were starting to water. Chuck knew he would have to move soon, otherwise he would never be able leave Sarah.

Sarah saw the change in his demeanor and became worried. "Chuck, what are you doing?" She sounded scared.

"Just taking in your breathtaking beauty one last time," Chuck answered, not looking away.

She knew that it did not mean her end, just his. "Chuck, no, no, no. Don't, please don't."

"It's time for Chuck Bartowski to be no more. Just let him go."

Sarah started crying again. "Chuck, please…" she sobbed, "I lo.."

Chuck leaned in and kissed her. She used her free hand to grab his head and pull him in tight, never wanting to let go. Chuck was enjoying the feel of her lips on his for one last time. He slowly moved his hand forward and gently stuck the tranq dart into her thigh. She broke the kiss and had a look in her eyes like he just killed her. Chuck's eyes were closed. He couldn't look at her.

"I love you Sarah."

"Chu…" Sarah mumbled before she allowed the darkness to envelop her.

***

**_June 15, 2009 Miami, Florida_**

Sarah awoke sometime in the middle of the night. She was in her bed, hand placed under the pillow holding her gun. She quickly turned on the light at the nightstand. She found a bottle of water and a piece of paper waiting for her.

_Sarah,_

_Sorry about the tranqing, twice. The water's for the inevitable dry mouth that accompanies such extensive drugging. I brought your car back to the hotel so you wouldn't have to get it later. I'm not great with a manual transmission, but I don't think I stripped the gears too badly._

_Sarah, just please let me go. Move on. Be happy. Start the rest of your life._

Sarah started crying again as she read the note for a second time. She was left with a dull ache in her gut. He still loved her. He said he did. 'Why won't he let me love him?' she thought angrily. They were both broken souls now. Sarah had always been broken, but Chuck had healed her somewhat. Now Chuck was broken and only she could fix him, if he would let her. It was as if fate wanted them both to be miserable.

Sarah decided she would oblige Chuck's wish. She would let him go. She would request another assignment and focus on something else, anything else. She would try to fall out of love with him. But for the rest of the morning, she would go on grieving the loss of Chuck Bartowski from her life.

***

**_August 2, 2009 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck was sitting in a mall food court, silently eating a couple of slices of pizza. He watched all the happy people milling around, joking and smiling with family and friends. His choice to go permanently off grid voided Chuck the possibility of those. Roy had been very supportive of his decision. Roy said that his brother had a place over his bar where Chuck could stay. It was small and very few people knew about it.

His thoughts turned to Sarah. He wondered whether she was still looking for him or if she had decided to move on. He prayed she would because this dance they had been playing was too emotionally crippling. He hoped she would one day be happy. Even though he was doomed to isolation and misery, she deserved happiness, no matter her faults.

He had finished up his pizza and just sat there. He wondered what Casey had been doing. Probably getting his ass chewed by Beckman. Chuck allowed himself a small smile. Casey was a decent man. He wasn't much on feelings, but he was loyal and Chuck knew that Casey and he were friends, whether Casey admitted it or not.

His thoughts then turned to Ellie. He missed her so much. She was married and was going to have a baby. She had a proper family now. She deserved it. They had been through so much. First their mom, then their dad, and now him. He knew Devon would never abandon Ellie. He smiled again. Then there was Morgan. He wasn't sure how his little buddy had handled his running. Morgan had gotten him through the worst of it with his dad and then Jill. Morgan had Anna, so he would be okay, but it still hurt not to be able just to sit and game with him.

He looked down at his watch. It was a little early to hit up a bar, even if he wasn't going to drink. 'Why did I come here?' he asked himself. He thought that being around people would make him happy. He had been alone for so long that he felt he needed to connect to people, even if it was on this superficial level. But it just made things worse. They all had what he wanted, but he knew he would never have. It just made him depressed. He needed to leave.

As he gathered his things, an attractive brunette with short hair took the chair opposite to him and heaved a huge sigh. She didn't even notice Chuck. He eyed her nervously, but nothing triggered a flash. He tried to quietly get up, but the chair moved, causing his table mate to look at him.

Her brown eyes went wide with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about this. I didn't even notice you. I'm just so exhausted. Been taking my daughter back to school shopping. Getting it out of the way early, you know. It's been a long day."

Chuck gave her a small smile. "That's quite alright. I was just leaving anyway."

She eyed him closely. His smile seemed sincere, but his eyes told her something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She took in his full appearance for the first time. He was decently attractive, she thought. There was something off with him though. He didn't look like he was supposed to.

"Oh, don't leave on account of me being here. Please, stay. My daughter is having lunch with a couple of her friends. I wouldn't mind company until she is done."

Chuck considered for a moment. He probably should have just left right then, gotten out of that woman's life before he ruined it, but he hadn't spoken a word to anyone in almost three weeks. Chuck wanted just to be able to talk to someone, even if it was just for five minutes. Chuck sat back down and the brunette's smile got wider.

"I'm Kristin," she said, extending her hand.

"I'm Chuck," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Well, here this is, as promised, up sooner rather than later. I know I have been hinting about Charlottesville a lot in previous chapters, and we are finally here. I worry it won't live up to expectations. Also, not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I do have free time this weekend, so posting this is sort of my motivator to write since I have nothing left to post after this, and I don't want to leave you guys hanging. Props to TheJusta for his continuing beta work making sure my timelines and plot points don't get too confusing. Any mistakes are still mine. Me still not owning Chuck applies. Lastly, I continue to love the reviews, although I expected more people to be upset at Chuck leaving Sarah last chapter. I'm actually a little disappointed. Must be my skills are getting sloppy. Maybe this chapter will do the trick. So please, continue to review._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 7

_**July 19, 2010 The Bird Feeder Diner**_

Chuck was sitting in the 1999 Malibu he liberated from one of the Vegas parking lots. He knew he had beaten Roy and Lily to the diner, but he wanted them to go in first. He needed to know that they weren't being followed. He leaned back his seat in the car and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe how much this Intersect had cost him. He expected some casualties in his search for Orion, but never anything like this. He had already destroyed his ties to his family, put Roy and Lily on the run, and Kristin and Katie, well, he would never forgive himself. He had gotten sloppy. He had dared to think that just because he was hiding out that he wouldn't be found.

Chuck wished that he no longer was on a search for freedom, but rather on a quest for vengeance. He would find Orion and then kill him for creating the Intersect. He would then find Beckman and kill her just because she pissed him off so much. Then he would try to find Bryce to kill him for sending him the Intersect and effectively ruining his life for a second time. Once he had done that, he'd call Casey and let Casey finish him, destroying all things related to the Intersect. But that wasn't possible. He made a promise and he was damn sure going to keep it.

He opened his eyes and looked back out the window. He watched again for another hour before he saw Roy and Lily pull in. He saw them get out of the car and head into the diner. Chuck waited for a few minutes before walking in. As he exited his car, he felt like he was being watched. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone. Approaching the diner door, he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was somebody staring him down. He looked around again for a second time but still saw nothing suspicious.

He approached Lily and Roy's table as they were giving their orders to the waitress.

"Nothing for me," Chuck said as he took a seat.

Roy and Lily looked at Chuck. They could see how angry he was, angry at life, angry at his situation, not that they wouldn't be either. But he needed to focus if he wanted to get out of this alive. They needed to make sure he was on top of his game because if he wasn't, he was going to wind up dead or in jail. They needed to make him focus his attention on her, the one who he promised he would return.

"So," Roy said, finally breaking the silence, "how's Katie?"

Guilt filled Chuck's eyes and voice. "I think she's okay. It's been a few weeks since we last spoke. She's the only thing keeping me going. I have to get back to her, and Ellie. I told Beckman to leave them alone."

"Or what?" asked Lily.

"Or I'll kill everyone she sends after them," Chuck answered flatly, but they knew he was serious.

Lily and Roy both wanted to say something, but the sound of Chuck's sat phone ringing got their attention. He was sure that someone was watching him. 'DAMMIT!' He couldn't believe it would end here. Chuck quickly looked outside, waiting for helicopters and SWAT teams to surround the place. But there was nothing. He picked up the phone.

"Hello," he said gruffly.

"Hello," said a scrambled voice.

"Who is this?" Chuck asked curiously.

"Orion."

***

**_April 14, 2010 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

The sun peering through the curtains and onto the bed woke Chuck. Sleep was coming more easily now that he had a companion, but he still never got as much as he wanted. She also helped calm the nightmares. It surprised her at first, but he had warned her. She was comforting and understanding. He had said he wasn't looking to date anyone but she didn't take no for an answer. Chuck laughed to himself when he thought about their second encounter.

***

**_August 2, 2009 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck had just left the mall and was feeling happy. It had been nice talking to Kristin. For as messed up as the last six months had been for him, that ten minute conversation had a soothing effect on him. Thankfully for him, her daughter had showed up. He could sense that Kristin had taken a liking to him. He couldn't help himself. Ever since his training with Roy, he had a confident persona and charming personality. Everyone seemed to like him. He excused himself before she could ask for his number, thanked her and went on his way. He knew she was watching him leave, curious as to why he would leave so quickly, they had been getting along so well.

Around 4:30 that day, he made his way to The Bird. From the outside, it looked like any other bar. He noticed that there was an apartment directly above the bar. Maybe he could convince Roy's brother to let him stay there. He walked in the building and looked around. The bar had two rooms. The right side, which he was currently in, was smaller. It had a couple of pool tables and a few TV's on the wall. There was also a hallway down the back that led to a kitchen and a bathroom. On the left side, there were many more booths and tables. They also had dartboards and a jukebox set up. The area of the actual bar was quite large, as it ran around in almost a full circle, providing service to both sides of the bar.

Chuck approached the counter and took a seat next to what he suspected was a local.

"So," said the bartender, "what can I get for you, Chuck?" She was smiling.

Chuck looked up quickly and saw that it was Kristin. He couldn't help but let a little laugh escape his mouth. "Oh, how about a beer, whatever's on tap." It might be easier to talk to Roy's brother than he intended. She came back holding his beverage. He handed her a ten and told her to keep the change.

"Excuse me Kristin, you wouldn't happen to know where the owner of this fine establishment is, would you?" He was giving her his most charming smile.

She couldn't help but blush at his smile. "Well, you're looking at her."

Chuck's eyes showed a little surprise. "Oh, I was under the impression that a man owned this place. I knew his brother, Roy."

"Oh you know Roy?" she asked. Chuck nodded. "Well, Jason died a couple months back. He was a good man. Looked after me after my parents kicked me out because I got pregnant with Katie. He let me stay in the old apartment above this place, free of charge. He also let me work here as well. He became like my second father." She had a sad smile on her face. "Why did you want to meet him?"

"Oh," responded Chuck, a little nervously, "Well, Roy said if I ever needed a place to stay for a bit, that I could come, ask his brother and he would be more than willing to help."

"Well, he would have. And so am I." She smiled again.

"No, no, I don't mean to impose like this."

She laughed. "I'm not asking you to stay at my house. The place above the bar, you can stay there, free of charge."

"No, really, I should pay."

She shook her head. "Your money is no good here."

"Well, I need to do something for you. I wouldn't feel right."

"How about you work for me, unofficially. I need a new bartender."

"I don't know," Chuck said hesitantly. "I don't really know how to make drinks and stuff."

"It's not that hard. Plus, this is a college bar. Most of the time the kids want shots or beer, nothing fancy."

Chuck hesitated for a moment. He was a fast learner, plus he knew how to fix a computer, trick the government and make his own signal jammer. How hard could bartending be?

"You got yourself a deal." He stuck his hand out and she shook it. "When do I start?"

"How about today?"

***

**_April 14, 2010 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck was lying on his back, Kristin's head on his chest. She had him in a death grip and didn't appear to be letting go anytime soon. Chuck kissed the top of her head and tried to move, but she tightened her grip.

"No," she moaned sleepily, "don't leave. It's too early for your run."

Chuck smiled. "Sorry, but when I'm up, I'm up. Sleep in a little. I'll get things around for Katie so you don't have to." Chuck slid away and Kristin reluctantly let go of him. He quickly got dressed in his running attire, wind pants and a sweatshirt. He grabbed his sunglasses off the nightstand and made his way downstairs.

He went in the kitchen and grabbed some water. He found all of Katie's things strewn about the dining room table. She may have been smart but she was not neat. Chuck packed everything away from her and put the backpack on the kitchen counter, along with some lunch money. He allowed himself a smile. 'This really isn't so bad,' he thought.

***

**_Dec. 25, 2009 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck was sitting on Kristin's couch. He had his face buried in his hands. Holidays were the worst. However, Christmas was unbearable. It had been a whole year since he abandoned Ellie and Morgan. He wondered how she was holding up. He missed her so much and the holidays only made it worse. Chuck only accepted Kristin's invitation because he thought it would be better than spending Christmas alone. Turns out it was worse only because it reminded him of where he should have been and who he should be with.

"What's wrong?" said Kristin as she came in holding a couple of mugs of hot chocolate.

Chuck quickly looked up and smiled at her, but she saw through that. "It's nothing. Holidays are always a little rough on me."

"Come on, Chuck, tell me." She knew he had always skirted around about his past. She really liked him and wanted to know everything about him, but she didn't want to push him away. It had taken about two months to get him to take her out. She was never usually that aggressive with men, but being with him at the bar a lot made it easy for her to fall hard for him. Whether it was his jokes, his smile, or the confident manner in which he carried himself, she just loved it.

"I don't know," Chuck muttered, taking a mug as she sat next to him, taking his arm and placing it around her. "To be honest, this isn't where I saw myself this time last year."

She stiffened next to him, but he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "That's not what I meant. I love being here with you and Katie, I do. It's that, when I left home, I was looking for answers and I haven't found them."

"So, are you still looking?" Kristin asked, looking up at him.

"No, I found a good reason to stop," he replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She gave him a smile and snuggled closer.

"You want to tell me about your home?" she asked casually, hoping he was in the mood to talk.

"Not really. Too painful. Plus, I doubt I'll ever go back."

"But don't you have family there?"

Chuck shrugged. "They're better off without me." Then it hit him. So was Kristin. And Katie. What had he allowed himself to do? He'd gotten into a relationship. What the hell was he thinking? He needed to get out of there. He hastily made to get up, causing Kristin to cry out in surprise when moved her off of him.

"Look, Kristin, I think you're great. I do. And I simply adore Katie. If I had a daughter, I would want her to be just like her. But I shouldn't be here. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm just going to end up hurting you and Katie. I know I will. I did back home with my family and I know I will here."

Chuck got up to leave but Kristin grabbed onto him. "Chuck, no, don't. I'm sorry for asking about your past. I know you don't like to talk about it, but I was curious. Please, don't leave."

"Look, Kristin, please. I have to leave. This is what's best. Trust me."

He felt her grip slacken on him, so he made his way out of the house. He had been here too long. He needed to move again. He was sure they were closing in. He drove quickly back to the apartment above The Bird. Thankfully, he kept most of his things packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. He had his suitcase packed and his backpack ready when she burst through his door. He started reaching for his gun but realized that it was Kristin. He slowly moved his hand back to his side.

"So, that's it?" she asked angrily. Her eyes were red, but she was no longer crying. "You're just going to run away, like before?"

"It's what's best for everybody." he said defensively.

"How is it better for everybody? It won't be better for me and Katie. And how can running away be better for you?"

"Look, it's not that simple. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me?" she said skeptically.

Chuck was getting flustered. "What do you want from me?"

"I just want to be with you. You are the first decent guy I've ever been with. You're caring. You're sweet. You do practically anything and everything for Katie."

"Well, she reminds me of…" Chuck stopped. At 14, Katie was like a mini Ellie. Smart, easy to excite, and always wanting to talk to Chuck, not to mention the brown hair and eyes.

"Look, Chuck, I understand you have some demons in your past you don't want to discuss. I get it. Not everyone loves to go digging through their past."

'Ain't that the truth,' Chuck thought and Sarah's smiling face ran across his mind.

"Just tell me Chuck. Do you care about me at all?"

"Of course I do. You know I do," Chuck responded indignantly.

"Then why are you leaving. I care about you, and you care about me. It seems like we should be together, not apart."

Chuck just stood there in thought. Would it be so bad to have a relationship? Surely if Casey and Sarah hadn't found him by now, they wouldn't. He had no paper linking him to anything. The man who had given him his identity was behind bars. They didn't know what he was driving. All they had was Sarah's description of him but that wasn't really enough to find him. He had effectively cut himself off from everything, yet still had managed to find a woman who would love him in the process. He dropped his things.

"You're right," he said softly.

Kristin let out a squeal of delight, ran at him and jumped onto him, effectively knocking him back onto his bed. She started kissing him furiously as she attempted to take his shirt off.

"What are you doing?" Chuck managed to get out between kisses. Kristin sat up, still straddling him.

"Giving you your Christmas present." She smiled at him and took her top off.

A half hour later, they were lying on their backs, exhausted. Chuck said something to finally break the silence.

"You know, I think I was more on the giving end of that."

"Oh really?" Kristin responded playfully.

"Just sayin'."

Kristin leaned over and gave him a kiss. Then she started leaving a trail of kisses from his neck down. Chuck was definitely on the receiving end the next time.

***

**_April 14, 2010 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck had just returned from his run when he heard excited whispers being exchanged in the kitchen. He slowly crept closer to hear what they were talking about, but a squeaky floorboard gave him away. They shushed each other and Kristin called out, "Chuck, is that you?"

"You know it," Chuck said entering the kitchen. He was drenched in sweat. He ran a few miles every day and had a little workout routine to keep himself in shape. "How about a hug, Katie?" he asked, extending his arms.

"Eww, gross." Chuck laughed at her comment.

"Katie, come on, let's get going. You have to get to school. Oh, Chuck, did you pay that traffic ticket?"

"Yeah, I took care of it," Chuck replied. "Have fun at school Katie." She gave him a withering look. He went to grab some fruit as they turned to leave.

As soon as they left, Chuck's thoughts returned to the ticket he got. It made him nervous. He had gotten it about a week ago. His ID held up to the officer's inspection, but having a car with Oregon plates and registered to a different guy was a little difficult to explain. The officer had looked at him curiously, but since neither the car nor he had any warrants or anything, the cop had just given him a ticket. The cop's glare made Chuck nervous. Chuck was sure he suspected something. 'But what can he do?' Chuck asked himself.

Chuck was in the shower when he heard the bathroom door opened. His senses heightened, but when he saw it was Kristin he relaxed. He was starting to hate always feeling on the edge. Suddenly, the shower door opened and she entered.

"I was about done, you know."

"Hey, you got your morning workout in. Now it's time for mine." She leaned in and kissed him.

***

**_April 6, 2010 Somewhere in Columbia_**

Sarah had just returned to her hotel. She was sweating profusely. The intense heat, coupled with poor air circulation, made her room unbelievably hot. She decided to take a cold shower to cool off. Seducing drug kingpins in the slums of Columbia tended to make her feel dirty, especially since her time with Chuck.

As always, whenever she was alone, which usually was in the shower, her thoughts turned to Chuck. She had obliged his wish. She had the director reassign her. He objected at first, but since his top agent had been abducted by this ghost of a man they were searching for, he relented. Maybe having people Chuck wasn't expecting to be looking for him would prove more effective. Also, it didn't hurt that his best agent was going back into the field, where she was most effective.

Sarah had been all over the place since she asked for her reassignment. Rome, Paris, Moscow. The missions provided distractions, but whenever she had a free thought, it was focused on Chuck. She had an analyst that she had befriended keeping her somewhat updated on what was happening. Rita had friends in the NSA, so she would know if Chuck had been found. She was also the lead analyst of his search in the CIA.

It had been almost ten months. Chuck had dropped off the face of the earth. She figured he was still in the states. Trying to leave the country would be too risky. She was calling in favors to all her contacts stateside for any knowledge concerning him. So far, she had heard nothing.

All of her operations so far had been solo ops. She just couldn't handle a partner right now. Casey was the best she had, and any male partner would want to sleep with her. She didn't need to deal with that. She was her best when she operated alone. Alone. She wondered whether Chuck was alone. Of course he wasn't. He was Chuck. The guy even turned John Casey into a friend, whether Casey admitted it or not. She wondered if he had a girlfriend. Would Chuck allow himself to love another? She was trying to love him a little less each day. It was hard at first, but now her thoughts only turned to Chuck when she had nothing else to think about, instead of constantly focusing on him throughout the day.

Sarah was toweling her hair off when her phone rang.

"Walker, secure."

"Agent Walker, it's me, Rita."

Sarah's heart fell. Chuck had been captured, or worse, was dead. "What's, ah, what's happened?" Her voice was unnaturally high.

"I think I may have found out where he's been hiding." Sarah let out a sigh of relief.

"What? How?"

"Well, I'm not sure," said Rita nervously, "but some cop in Charlottesville, Virginia has been running all sorts of background checks on this guy he pulled over. It piqued my interest, so I dug a little deeper. The guy's name is Chuck Finley. He is from California, LA to be specific. The car he had didn't belong to him. It was registered to a Roy Hill, who lives in Eugene, Oregon. We know Chuck was in that area when he first left with a wad of cash. Maybe this is his new identity? The weird thing is, this Finley doesn't seem to exist on paper past 2008. He has some bank statements, college credits, high school diploma. But after that, nothing. It's like he died, but no death certificate."

"What about the license picture?"

"It's not the greatest, but the guy does have a beard and brown hair, and his stats are similar to Chuck's. Could this be him? We find him because of a parking ticket and an overzealous cop?"

"I don't know, but I have to find out. I'll be in Langley in a few hours. I want you to assemble a team of all the best analysts and agents the CIA has recruited since Christmas, 2008."

"Why so young?"

"I have my reasons. Just do it."

After a phone call to Director Bennett, along with a few choice words for him, Sarah was on a flight back to Langley inside the hour.

***

**_Langley, Virginia 22 Hours Later_**

Sarah Walker walked into the conference room that Rita had booked for her. She looked around and saw six people, including Rita, sitting around the table. She could tell the agents from the analysts. The agents were looking calm, confident, while the analysts seemed somewhat nervous. Obviously, Rita had told them nothing about what they would be doing.

"Hello, I am Agent Walker. Yes," she began as the agents looked at each other and some of the analysts became even more terrified, "that Agent Walker. I'm not sure what you may have heard about me, but it's probably all true."

"The reason you are here is because this man," Chuck's picture appeared on screen, "has recently popped back onto the radar. He is a high level asset that has eluded capture for the better part of a year and a half."

"You need all of us to bring in an asset?" one young agent asked.

"Name?" Sarah asked, irritated.

"Agent Wayne, ma'am." He sounded nervous.

"Well, Agent Wayne. Have you heard the tales about some agent who has been traveling across the country taking out enemy cells that have numbered as many as nine, by himself?"

"I've heard rumors. But isn't that guy working for the NSA?"

Sarah gritted her teeth. Of course Beckman would take credit. "Well, you are looking at him," she said pointing at Chuck's picture.

"That's the guy," Agent Wayne said exasperatedly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I don't expect you to take him down. I will handle his capture. However, he can't know that I'm coming for him. That's where you all come in. He has a photographic memory, so we can't send experienced agents in to watch him. He knows them. He's also to be considered near genius when it comes to electronics. Now, he may seem charming and nice, but remember he has 39 confirmed kills. Do not approach him by yourself. If you feel you have been made, leave. Everything must be done discretely."

Sarah picked up the folder that Rita had given her just before she entered. This was her first time reading it. "Intel shows that he has currently been spotted in the Charlottesville area. However, his name has come up nowhere on any housing agreements or work records. We don't know if he is still there. However, we know what car he has. Find the car and we find him."

***

**_April 14, 2010 Charlottesville, Virginia_**

Chuck was standing behind the bar filling pitchers of beer for the hordes of college students pouring in. He hated working Friday nights. Drink specials, along with it being the weekend, meant the place was always packed. Plus, when you're always looking at everyone closely to see if you flash on them, it can become quite a hassle.

He delivered some drinks to the frat boys and took the order of a few young coeds. They already appeared hammered, but they each wanted two shots of Jack. Chuck smiled as he took their money and gave them their drinks. He always noticed that the girls gave him looks that lasted just a bit too long. He shook his head at the thought. 'Wish it could have been this easy when I was in school,' he thought, a small smile forming on his face.

He had to go over to Kristin's after work. She said she had a surprise for him. He tried not to think about it, but he wondered what it could have been. He was closing after all, and wouldn't be out of work until after 3:00 am. Yet, she insisted he came over. He started to worry. What could be so important that he had to come over? Was she going to ask him to move in, to get engaged? He told her he couldn't make commitments like that, but that didn't deter her from always hinting about it.

Chuck made his way down to a young man who was sitting at the end of the bar. He had been sipping on a beer for the better part of a half hour and hadn't ordered anything else. He was in a simple white button up, and upon seeing his face, Chuck didn't flash. He saw the young man had rolled his sleeves up and then he saw it. The watch. It was CIA issue. Chuck didn't have to flash. He had worn that damn thing for over a year. Chuck decided to approach him.

"So, what can I get for you?" Chuck asked over the music.

The man looked up and his eyes went wide when he saw Chuck. He saw his head tilt a little to the left. He was obviously getting instructions from someone. "Oh, nothing. I'm good right now." His voiced quivered when he spoke. Chuck nodded and walked away to deal with other customers. 'Dammit,' thought Chuck. 'I was starting to really enjoy this place.' He had been cornered. There was probably a team waiting outside for him. Chuck started mulling his options as he filled another pitcher with beer.

Chuck watched the young man covertly for about a half hour. Finally, the young man decided to go to the bathroom. Chuck quickly left from behind the bar, much to the dismay of some of the young women hoping to get the chance to speak with him. He pulled out the tranq gun from the back of his pants and approached the bathroom. He silently opened the door. He saw the young man standing at a urinal, relieving himself and whispering into his watch. Chuck quickly made his way behind him, covering his mouth with his free hand and sticking the gun in his back.

"Do not move a muscle," Chuck whispered menacingly into his ear. The kid was so frightened that all he did was nod. Chuck, still holding his hand over the kid's mouth, put the tranq gun away. He used his free hand to find the ear piece. He took it out and put it in.

"Linus, what is happening? Answer me?" chirped the voice of Sarah Walker in Chuck's ear. Chuck grimaced. 'Goddamn it, why can't she just let me go?'

"Tell her a drunk came in the bathroom and passed out," hissed Chuck. Linus obeyed Chuck's command.

"Okay, good. We'll send your replacement in a half hour. Just keep doing what you've been doing," Sarah said encouragingly.

"Give me the watch," Chuck said softly, "and anything else spy related." All Chuck got was the watch.

"Let's go," Chuck whispered again. As they made their way out of the bathroom, Chuck tossed the watch on a tray of food that was heading out to the bar.

Up in Chuck's room, Linus became even more nervous. Chuck pulled a chair away from a table and gave it to Linus to sit on. Linus did and Chuck took a seat opposite of him so they were facing each other. Chuck set his spy bag down beside him.

"So, how did a CIA analyst such as yourself start working for the great Sarah Walker?" Chuck asked calmly, almost cheerfully.

"How…I…what?" Chuck let out a small laugh.

"Clearly, you are no agent. You're not even carrying a gun. And the watch was CIA issue. I had to wear one for a whole damn year. Plus, I heard Sarah's voice. I don't recognize you though." He paused, and then he snapped his fingers. "Of course, Sarah would get a bunch of agents and analysts that were too young. She really is quite clever, using my only advantage against me." He smiled. "How long have you been watching me?"

Linus said nothing. Chuck sighed.

"Look, Linus, I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will if I feel she's closing in. I'm sure you've heard how dangerous I am, how many people I've killed. I've only killed when I've been pushed. I just want to be left alone. I've been hurting no one. Why can't you people leave me alone?" Chuck was starting to get angry.

"How long have you been watching me?"

Linus still said nothing. Chuck was getting impatient. "Look, you are pushing me right now. Do you really want to have to suffer for this? I just want to know how long you have been watching me." Chuck started a pull a knife out his of his bag.

"A week, alright. Just a week. I think they were planning on grabbing you tomorrow morning on your run."

'Shit, a whole week. They've seen me at work, with Kristin and Katie.'

Chuck played with the knife in his hands, contemplating his next move. "Are they still watching the house? I mean right now, are they?"

"No, we've just been watching you, following you everywhere, trying to get your patterns down to figure out when was the best time to grab you."

Chuck was silent in thought. He looked at his own watch. His time was running out. He needed a plan. He dug through his spy bag when he found it. He pulled out what appeared to be a homemade bomb.

"What's that for?" asked Linus nervously. Chuck moved over and started strapping the bomb to Linus.

"This is my distraction. I'm going to strap this to you. Then you are going to get in my car and drive as far north for as long and fast as you can, which probably will be about five minutes. That should be enough time for me to get away. If you try to remove the device, it will detonate. If I get caught, I will detonate it with the remote. I can activate it from anywhere inside of 10 miles of it." Linus' eyes went wide with fear as Chuck finished strapping him. "That will be your incentive to drive for as long as possible," Chuck finished giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Oh, if you could give me Agent Walker's cell number, that would be nice," Chuck added as an afterthought. He wasn't sure if it had changed, although he assumed it had. Linus wrote down the number as Chuck gathered up his gear. He and Linus went back down into the bar. They made their way to the back door.

"Okay, you know which car is mine I presume?" asked Chuck. Linus nodded. "Alright then, I want you to get in and drive north, just anywhere north." He paused. "Okay, go now, run!"

Linus took off running and got into the Charger. He got in and roasted the tires as he took off out of the parking lot. Chuck had a small smile on his face as he watched a van and another car take off from just around the block following the car. 'Can't believe that guy actually thought I strapped a bomb to his chest,' Chuck thought. He hoisted his things and started looking around for a car he wanted. Once he found one that tickled his fancy, he used the lock picker to get in and start it.

As he pulled out of the parking lot, the phone Kristin had bought for him rang. He debated whether or not he should pick it up, finally deciding he would at least let Kristin know he was leaving. "Hey, Kristin."

"No, not Kristin," said a gravelly voice.

Chuck's insides turned to lead. "Who is this?"

"A person who is interested in you, or I should say is interested in why the CIA is hunting you so extensively."

"Why don't you come find me to see for yourself?"

"Why don't you come home? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to kill the mother and daughter." Chuck heard their screams in the background.

Chuck knew they were dead whether he gave himself up or ran. Their only chance was for him to come and rescue them. "You will be alone in the house with them when I arrive?"

The man on the phone paused. "I think that can be arranged."

***

'This doesn't make sense,' thought Sarah as she was speeding down a side street to keep up with Chuck's Charger. After being so careful all week, how had he now spotted them? And why would he just speed away when he knew they were probably watching the building? 'Unless this is a diversion.' Sarah made a split second decision.

"Call it off. This isn't him. It's a diversion."

"Ma'am, are you sure? This may be our best shot to get him?"

"I'm sure," said Sarah firmly.

Her cell phone rang. "Walker, secure."

"Agent Walker, it's Rita. I've picked up some things on the surveillance of the home. It looks like the mother and daughter are being held hostage."

Sarah's head slumped. Not only had they failed to acquire Chuck, they got that woman and her daughter involved. Part of her was initially destroyed when she found out Chuck had moved into a new relationship. But could she blame him? After all they had been through, this woman was able to offer him what she couldn't, a sense of normalcy. Watching them on the surveillance that morning had hurt a lot worse than she thought it would, but these people were important to Chuck, so she had to save them.

"Team, rendezvous to the house. The girlfriend and daughter are being held captive. We need to rescue them." She heard chirps of agreement over the coms.

***

Chuck was walking towards the house from a few blocks away. He was carrying a couple of knives attached to each wrist, a 9mm in both the front and back of his waistband. The rest of his belongings were in the stolen Taurus parked a few blocks behind him. He needed to get focused, but the thought of what might happen to Kristin and Katie if he failed kept going through his head. He was a couple of houses away when he spotted a man holding a semiautomatic weapon in the bushes trying to hide. Chuck quickly pulled out his knife and silently approached him from behind. Once he was close enough, he put his hand on the man's forehead, pulled back and ran the blade across his throat. Chuck watched as the man clutched at his throat to stem the bleeding but he was dead in a matter of seconds.

As Chuck cleaned off the knife using the man's clothing, Chuck knew that once he entered the house the enemy agents would swarm in. His only shot was to kill the man holding Kristin and Katie. Then he would have to put up some sort of defense while they escaped. It was flimsy at best, but it might be enough to get them out of the house.

Chuck finally made his way up the walkway and to the front door. He took a deep breath and pushed it opened. He quickly shut it and locked it. The entire house was pitch black except for the moonlight that was pouring in the windows.

"Ah, so nice of you to join us," said the gravelly voice. A man stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Chuck felt the sensations of a flash hit him quickly once he got a good look at the man's face. The man was Jackson Ellis, a Fulcrum operative who exclusively ran missions intercepting important data from the NSA and CIA. Chuck eyed the man closely. Ellis was an extremely important person for Fulcrum and could do wonders in providing them information. Chuck shook his head a little to get rid of those thoughts. 'Your mission is to save Kristin and Katie, not leave this man alive for Sarah and Casey.'

"Where are they?" Chuck asked coldly, his brown eyes staring into Ellis' gray ones.

"Resting comfortably upstairs," replied Ellis, sounding bored. "Now, if you come with us, we can leave this family in peace." Ellis smiled at him, bringing his hands together in a loud clap. 'There's the signal,' thought Chuck, 'better act fast.'

"You really expect me to believe that?" asked a skeptical Chuck, reaching for his knife.

"No, I didn't, but it would have made things so…" Ellis was unable to finish his statement as Chuck's three inch knife was lodged into his forehead. Ellis fell to the ground with a thunderous crash. Chuck quickly wrenched the blade from the man's skull and ran up the stairs to get to Kristin's bedroom. He heard the Fulcrum agents breaking into the house via the windows and the back door. He pulled out both guns, took up a defensive post on the landing and waited to fire. The bullets started flying, but not at Chuck. He ran to the nearest window he could find and saw that the CIA team he had sent away was at the house, in a firefight with the Fulcrum agents. Someone must have spotted him as bullets broke through the window, showering him with glass.

***

Sarah's car screeched to a halt just outside of the driveway at Kristin's house. She could see three or four men attempting to stealthily gain entry into the house. Rita had informed her that Chuck had arrived and killed the one enemy agent who was in the house. She exited her car, grabbed her pistol and started firing at the men. One man dropped in front of the house as the bullets entered his back. Upon receiving enemy fire, the Fulcrum agents crashed their way into the house, not caring about being silent.

All the agents took up defensive positions and returned fire out the broken windows at Sarah's car. She immediately called for more backup as the rest of her team arrived, suppressing some of the enemy fire she was taking.

Sarah spotted movement on the roof of the garage and fired. She missed her target as he crashed through a window on the side of the house. She started scanning all the windows on the second floor. She spotted a face staring down at her and fired at the window causing it to shatter.

***

Chuck brushed away the broken glass carefully, but his attention was brought to the end of the hallway, which was Kristin's bedroom, by the sound of heavy footsteps. He silently rushed to the door, figuring out a plan of attack. He heard both of the girls screaming, although their voices were slightly muffled. As he was about to breach the room, the sound of bullet dislodging from the barrel and the thump of a something hitting the floor caused him to freeze momentarily. 'NO!' he internally yelled. He quickly kicked in the door and shot the only person in the room who was standing.

Chuck quickly made his way to the Fulcrum agent he shot and kicked away his gun. The man was still breathing, although it was ragged and unsteady. He then turned and saw what he feared most. Kristin's body was on the floor, dead from a gunshot to the head. He then turned again and saw Katie tied to a chair, facing her mother. She had seen the whole thing. Chuck quickly looked down, trying to fight the guilt and tears that were rushing to escape. Screeching tires and automatic gunfire outside sharpened his senses.

He moved over to Katie, whose eyes were wide and still on her mother. He untied her quickly, but all she did was stare at her mom. "Katie?" Chuck said softly. Katie didn't respond. "Katie!" Chuck said forcefully grabbing her by the shoulders. Katie looked up, finally acknowledging him. "Katie, I need you to go into the bathroom, shut your eyes and plug your ears. Go, now!"

Katie quickly went into her mother's bathroom and Chuck shut the door. She didn't need to see this. Chuck unsheathed another knife and walked over to the soon to be dead Fulcrum agent.

***

The CIA backup arrived, carrying two teams of five in tactical gear. All were carrying assault rifles. They were trying to get the house surrounded, but there was no easy way to get to the back of the house without encountering neighbors and possibly children. A brute force attack was decided upon. The enemy, while having a better position, was outmatched. They simply started laying siege to the house, never allowing the Fulcrum team to return fire. A brave Fulcrum man tried to cut down the advancing team, but was torn to bits by bullets from four different agents.

***

Chuck had allowed himself a few moments of emotion, of rage. Chuck opened the bathroom door three minutes after he shut Katie inside. She was sitting in the bathtub, eyes closed and fingers in her ears. Chuck quickly removed the blood from his hands and face in the sink then went to her.

"Katie, it's me, Chuck." She opened her eyes and looked at him. Chuck bent down and scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Katie, I need to keep your eyes closed. Can you do that for me?" He felt her shift so that her face was buried into his shoulder. "Good girl."

Chuck left the bathroom and walked to the bedroom door. Hearing nothing, he quietly opened the door and stepped to the room immediately to his right. It was Katie's bedroom. He let Katie down.

"Listen, Katie. The tree is right next to your window. I need you to climb onto the branches and climb down. I'll be right out."

Katie just stared at him with a wide eyed expression, like a deer in headlights.

"Katie," Chuck said exasperatedly, "we have to leave. I'll explain everything to you when we get out of here."

Katie acquiesced. She didn't know why she did. Maybe it was the fact that she was coming to see Chuck as a father figure, someone who would take care of her mom when she left. But everything was shattered now. It was gone, and she had no idea why. Chuck said he would explain, but what did he know.

As Katie made her way out to the tree, Chuck grabbed a bag and started putting random clothes of Katie's into it. Once it was full, he took a seat on the window ledge. He saw that Katie was making her way down the tree. He jumped off the ledge and hit the ground, making himself roll as he did so. It didn't quite work as planned. His right ankle was throbbing. He helped her get off the tree. As they cleared the fence into their neighbor's backyard, Sarah came around the corner of the house.

***

Having finally forced the Fulcrum agents to surrender, Sarah and her team made their way to the back of the house. They were sure a few Fulcrum agents would try to escape out the back. Sarah was sure she saw movement in the darkness, but she wasn't going to risk firing blindly. Instead she went back inside to access the damage and free the family. With any luck, Chuck had gotten there first, saved them, realized it was safer for everybody for him to come in peacefully and was waiting for Sarah to take him in.

***

Chuck and Katie walked silently to his car. He threw her bag into the back with his things, got in, and started the car. They were driving for a few minutes when Chuck pulled out a cell phone and made a call he hadn't made in almost ten months.

***

Sarah was in Kristin's bedroom, trying to stifle the emotions that were coming to the surface. The woman Chuck had been with was dead on the floor, and there was an unrecognizable lump that must have been her killer. She had never seen such damage done to a person. Chuck's rage must have been unimaginable, which meant that he really loved this woman, which made everything worse. As her cell phone rang, she took a calming breath.

"Walker, secure."

"Ah, nice to see Agent Walker back on the hunt," replied an angry voice.

Sarah recognized the voice, although not the tone. She wasn't sure Chuck ever had spoken so angrily to her. "Chuck, what happened? Where's the girl?"

"She's safe. Don't bother looking, I'm taking her where she will be out of harm's way."

"Chuck, I'm so…"

"Save it," interrupted Chuck. "I was off the grid. I'd gone away. I was living a peaceful life, but you goddamn people won't leave me alone. You had to keep looking and looking and now Kristin is dead. You brought them to me, Sarah, you know that. Your search brought them right to me."

"Chuck, please…" but again, she was interrupted.

"No, I'm done with all of this. I thought if I just stayed out of trouble, you people would leave me alone." He paused. "I'm getting this thing out, no matter what the cost."

"Chuck? Chuck?" All she heard was a roar of the car engine and a loud crack as Chuck's phone hit the pavement.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Man, those reviews for the last chapter were more like it. Fiery, empassioned, and I loved it. Sorry it took so long to get this up. Definitely not sure when the next chapter is going to be up. Probably a week at the earliest, but I make no promises. Big thanks to TheJusta for the beta of this chapter. He also said he was highly entertained when he read it, so I hope you guys feel the same way. Any mistakes are still mine, as always. Got the Casey/Chuck showdown this chapter, so were pretty much back in the present after this one. Also, the reason I don't do any chapters on secondary characters like Ellie is that I want to keep this thing as lean as possible, so I primarily focus on Chuck. Standard disclaimer about me not owning Chuck at all still applies. So please, read, enjoy, and review._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 8

_**July 19, 2010 The Bird Feeder Diner**_

Chuck was gripping the phone tightly, not sure what to think. Had Orion found him? Did he know that Chuck was looking for him and he decided to reach out? If so, why, and how did he get Chuck's number? There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but he settled on the one that seemed the most appropriate.

"How do I know you are Orion?" he asked skeptically.

He heard the scrambled voice laugh. "I understand your lack of trust, but if I was really the NSA, CIA, or Fulcrum, I wouldn't need to call you after finding your phone number. I could trace it, find you, surround the diner and then bring you in." Chuck gritted his teeth. That made sense. He still had to be sure.

"But I could take myself out before you got close enough to grab me. I need proof."

"Of course. Look at the laptop of the man behind you."

Chuck turned his head to see the man's computer. The screen went back, then a weird symbol appeared on it.

"What the hell?" the confused man muttered as he hit his computer. Chuck meanwhile flashed on the image, which just showed him things he already knew about the Intersect.

"You really are Orion?" It was more of question than a statement.

"Yes, I am," replied the scrambled voice. "I want to help you. I'll be at the diner shortly."

***

_**Flagstaff, Arizona**_

Casey was holding an icepack to his forehead. As if the blows to the head weren't enough, trying to comfort a sobbing Walker wasn't doing anything to relieve the pain.

"It was such a mistake. I just went there guns blazing. I didn't even think about Fulcrum. All I thought about was finding Chuck and making sure he didn't get himself killed. That poor woman is dead and now her daughter is all alone." Sarah was trying to keep it together, but was failing miserably.

"Look," Casey started, but he really didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Chuck was the one who always made her feel better. She smiled at his attempt of comfort, even if it was terrible.

"So, what do we do next?" asked Sarah regaining some of her composure.

"I don't think 'we' can do anything. Each of us just has to try to find a way to end this, hopefully without Bartowski having to take a dirt nap."

Sarah frowned at his choice of words, but he was right. Her phone ringing got her attention.

"Walker, secure."

"Larkin, secure."

"Bryce? What the hell are you doing? I thought you were deep cover." Casey's ears perked at the mention of Bryce's name.

"I still am. It looks like our two assignments are about to merge together."

"What?" asked Sarah confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm meeting Chuck in a couple of minutes."

"WHAT?" Sarah yelled.

Casey grimaced at the volume of Sarah's voice, both because he knew that it probably wasn't good news and his head was still throbbing.

"Yeah," continued Bryce, ignoring her outburst, "I've got a meeting set with him in a few minutes."

"Bryce, you can't do that. Chuck's not the same person anymore. If you come anywhere near him, he'll kill you."

"Nah, I don't think he will." He sounded arrogant.

"Look, Bryce, Chuck has changed. If he feels threatened, he'll take you out."

"No, he won't. I'm bringing him Orion."

***

**_April 15, 2010 Just Past Midnight Somewhere In The Appalachian Mountains_**

Chuck had been driving calmly for the past hour or so. Katie had mercifully fallen asleep. She seemed peaceful, but Chuck knew it was just a matter of time before she had her first of many nightmares. He had decided to use back roads through Virginia. He knew a roadblock had been set up and it was too risky to travel on the main roads. He saw a small rest area to the side of the road, so he decided to pull into it. He covered Katie up and left the car.

Chuck took a few steps before finally collapsing. He was on his knees in front of car, tears flowing down his face. He wanted to scream, to yell, to do something that would end the hopelessness that was engulfing him. He was responsible for Kristin's death and Katie becoming an orphan. He punched the gravel road on which he was currently parked, hoping the physical pain would relieve the emotional guilt he was feeling. Never before had he known how much he could hurt. He was on all fours, his breathing labored. It was like his parents leaving, only worse, so much worse.

After ten minutes, Chuck was sitting against the front of the car weighing his options. He couldn't find Orion, that he was sure of. He could try to stay off the grid again, but they would never stop looking and they would eventually find him again. It seemed everywhere he went, he brought the curse of the Intersect with him. Even if he tried to stay away from people, eventually he would bring some poor, unsuspecting person into his path of destruction. He wouldn't allow that, not again. He also was adamant that he would never work for the government, not after all they had taken from him. As the only solution that made sense for him came into his mind, a sense of calm came over him. It would finally be over.

***

**_April 20, 2010 Burbank, California_**

Chuck was sitting in a car parked about a block away from the hospital where Awesome and Ellie worked. He was building up the courage to call the hospital. He needed to talk to Ellie, to have her take care of Katie. This would lead to questions, and he wasn't sure he wanted to answer them. He glanced in his rearview mirror for about the hundredth time, still seeing that plain looking black van a few cars behind him. He looked over at Katie, who had her eyes closed as she listened to her iPod.

Chuck had tried to engage her in conversation on the road, but she wasn't talking. She hadn't spoken since that night. She seemed mildly interested when he told her about how his parents abandoned him, but when he told her he knew what she was going through, she got angry and looked away. The trip had taken longer than Chuck originally planned, mostly due to the fact that it took him forever to find his way out of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia.

Chuck finally pulled out his sat phone and called the emergency room.

"Hello, ER, how may I help you?" replied an irritated woman's voice.

"Hello, may I speak to Dr. Eleanor Woodcombe?"

"Yes, please hold."

Chuck waited about 30 seconds before Ellie picked up.

"Dr. Woodcombe, how can I help you?"

"Ellie," Chuck heard her gasp over the phone. "Don't say my name outloud," Chuck added quickly.

"What can I do for you?" Ellie asked, her tone both excited and somewhat bitter.

"I'm in town. We need to meet. Come to the place I go when I need to think. Also, do not bring your cell phone and borrow a friend's car. I know it sounds weird, but do it."

"Okay, I believe that can be arranged." If she was confused, she didn't let on.

They both hung up. Chuck watched as Ellie left the hospital and went into the parking lot. She got into an H2, which Chuck knew she would never drive. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove away. Chuck noticed that no vehicles seemed to follow her, so he pulled out and left, deciding he needed to beat her to the beach.

Chuck and Katie were sitting on a blanket when Ellie walked up to them. They were the only people sitting out there, so Ellie figured Chuck had to be the man. The fact that there was a young girl only seemed to intrigue her more. Chuck heard her approach and stood to greet her. He was barely recognizable to her. Short hair, a beard that she had never seen on him, and tired eyes. The classic Chuck Bartowski grin is what gave him away.

She paused when she got to him, not sure how to greet a brother who ran out on you at Christmas. Chuck was afraid to say anything. Ellie finally slapped him hard across the face.

Chuck, while not totally surprised, still was somewhat taken aback. "Yeah, I prolly deserved that," he mumbled softly while rubbing his cheek. Ellie finally lost it and threw her arms around Chuck, squeezing the life out of him while sobbing into his shoulder. Chuck tried to comfort her the best he could, while Katie just sat on the blanket with her eyes closed listening to her iPod.

After finally getting Ellie to release him, she started needling him for information.

"Chuck, what the hell is going on? You disappear on Christmas, then show up a year and a half later out of the blue with a teenage girl?"

Chuck took a deep breath. He glanced down at Katie, who was still lying with her eyes closed, then motioned for Ellie to follow him to a picnic table not far away from where they were standing.

Upon taking their seats, Chuck spoke. "Look, I'm going to explain this as best as I can. I know it'll sound crazy, farfetched, like I'm lying, but it's the truth. Honest to God, it's the truth." Ellie's curiosity was piqued

"Here we go."

For about 30 minutes, Chuck talked about being a government asset, about how Sarah and Casey were government agents sent to protect him, about how he decided to run after realizing the government was never going to let him go, about meeting Roy, about trying to stay off the grid, and finally about Kristin. It felt good, like a confession. He was making peace with those he had hurt, admitting his sins.

Ellie just looked at her brother as he finished his story. He looked so different. No longer was he upbeat and cheerful. He looked tired and defeated, like all his escapades were finally catching up with him. He even sounded tired as he finished his story, as if he was finally giving up.

"Chuck, I…I don't know what to say?" Ellie finally spoke.

"You can't say anything, not even to Awesome. Ellie, right now, you're being watched. Your phones are probably bugged. I'm sure they put stuff in your house too."

"What?" asked Ellie exasperatedly.

"They thought I would contact you at some point, which I have, but I know how to avoid them. Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to you guys."

"How will you do that?" Ellie questioned nervously. Hearing that your brother had killed people, a lot of people, made her wonder exactly to what lengths he would go to keep her and Katie safe.

"Just warn them that no harm will come to my family without consequences," Chuck replied calmly.

Ellie wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she brought up something else. "So, really, you and Sarah weren't anything? I could have sworn the way you guys looked at each other that it was real."

"Ah, that," Chuck said with a small smile. "It's complicated." He gave Ellie a stupid grin, which she returned, fully aware of the joke. "I don't really know what our situation was or is. I'm sure she considered us to be friends. Don't get me wrong though, I was in love with her. Under different circumstances, we may have had something." He sighed discontentedly, looking out at the water. "Look, Ellie, I can't stay. I need you to watch Katie."

Ellie glanced at Katie, who still hadn't moved. "Look, Chuck, you know I want to help, but this…"

Chuck interrupted, "Ellie, her mother is dead because of me. She has no other relatives. You're the only person I trust enough to take care of her. I know you've got a lot on your plate, being a doctor, raising a kid, but I don't know what else to do. I'm running out of options." He ran a hand through his hair. He looked rattled.

"Chuck, what are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to try and finish what I started." He looked at his sister, who was eyeing him closely. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at your wedding. I just…I just…" Chuck didn't know what to say. He blinked rapidly trying to form some coherent thoughts.

Ellie looked at her brother with pity. For so long, she was angry with him at leaving her. Upon hearing what he'd gone through while living with her, and out on the road, she couldn't do anything but sorry for him. He seemed so lost.

"Ellie, I need to get going. Will you look after her?" Ellie looked into his eyes and saw the fear, the desperation.

"Of course I will Chuck," Ellie said, finally relenting. "Will we ever see you again?"

Chuck smirked, "Hey, I've made it this far." He really hated lying to his sister.

They both stood and hugged each other. Ellie put him into the patented death grip once more. After finally being released, Chuck added, "Go get your car ready. I'll bring Katie and her things."

Chuck walked up to Katie and sat next to her on the blanket.

"Katie?" he said softly. She pulled one of her ear buds out. "Look, Katie, I'm going to have to go away." Katie's eyes opened wide, looking at Chuck. Chuck was staring out at the ocean, watching the sunset.

"Don't worry though, because Ellie's awesome." He smiled after he said, thinking of the Captain. "She's my sister and she'll take great care of you." Chuck looked at her, hoping she would say something, anything.

Katie glanced at Ellie, who was watching the pair closely, and looked back at Chuck. She nodded, got up, and walked to Ellie's car, getting in the passenger seat and closing the door before Chuck had a chance to say goodbye.

Chuck gathered her belongings and put them into Ellie's car. He walked over to Ellie and handed her a piece of paper.

"It's my number. Call in case of an emergency, and make sure you don't use a phone that is bugged. Just borrow one from someone or pick up a pre-paid phone." Ellie nodded and looked closely at Chuck. Something about his demeanor seemed wrong.

"Chuck, don't do anything stupid now, okay, like getting yourself killed. I need you, and that girl damn sure needs you." Ellie was stern, glaring at her brother.

"I can't make any promises about doing nothing stupid, that's just a bad habit of mine. As for Katie, I don't think she wants anything to do with me. Not that I blame her." Chuck was more talking to himself than Ellie. He looked back up at Ellie. "Just take care of her for me. I owe her that much."

Ellie nodded, and then gripped her brother in another crushing hug, trying to fight back tears. "I love you Chuck. Be safe."

She loosened her grip and backed a step away. "I love you too, sis." Chuck gave her a small grin. She got into the car and drove away. Chuck took out his sunglasses, put them on, and took a deep breath. With that, he walked back to his car, got in and drove back to the hospital where Ellie worked.

Sure enough, when he arrived he found that surveillance van still sitting in the same spot. He got a tranq gun and walked up to the van. He could make out two distinct voices that were inside. He knocked on the side of the van. A man pulled the sliding door open, and before anyone knew what happened, Chuck was inside the van and the man who opened the door was unconscious, on the floor of the van with a tranq dart stuck in his neck. The other member of the team was slowly reaching for her gun, trying to look innocent.

"Please, don't do that," Chuck said lazily. She moved her hand back to her side, causing Chuck to smile. "I want you to connect me to Beckman."

"Why would I do that?" she huffed at Chuck.

"I would assume because you're not stupid. I could easily kill you and your friend here, but I'm tired of the bloodshed. I just want to speak to Beckman."

She looked at him closely, finally deciding to patch him through. A surprised Beckman appeared on the screen. "Agent Connors, what is the meaning of this?"

Chuck shot Connors in the back with the tranq gun and slowly lowered her to the ground. He then took her seat. He removed his glasses and was staring at a now very surprised General Beckman.

"Mr. Bartowksi," she greeted with as much contempt as possible.

"Good to see you, too, General," Chuck replied, each word dripping with sarcasm.

They continued to glare at each other before Chuck finally broke the silence.

"Well, may as well get this started."

"Get what started? I have nothing to discuss with you."

"Yes, you do. I know that my sister's private life is still being invaded by you people. I want her, her family, and the girl she just took in left alone. They are off limits."

"Mr. Bartowski, you are in no place to negotiate terms. You're lucky I haven't had your sister detained on suspicions of aiding a fugitive."

"That's what you're calling the man who has continued to destroy Fulcrum cells all over America while you take credit?" He smirked while she scowled. "They are off limits. You tell that idiot over at the CIA the same thing."

Her eyes narrowed even more. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, merely stating that no harm shall come to my family without repercussions."

"Anything else?" she snarled.

"Nope, I think that about wraps this up. You should tell these two," he motioned to the unconscious agents, "that sitting in a delivery van for over five hours without moving is pretty noticeable. Especially when it was government plates."

He severed the connection and left the van. He got into his car and drove away heading north. He figured the wilderness would be the best place. It would be isolated, no one would find him. They may never realize what had happened to him.

***

Chuck walked into a small pizzeria in a small town just outside the woods. It wasn't much for a last meal, but he was sure it would taste pretty damn good. He ordered a small pepperoni pizza and took a seat near the big screen television that was placed at the front of the dining room. He was surprised to find out that there were a decent amount of people there, mostly high school age. But being one of the only restaurants in a small town, it was probably one of the few places they could gather and hang out.

Chuck noticed a few of the age appropriate, 'along with some age inappropriate,' he thought, were staring at him. He allowed himself a small smile. He had never fully understood why women seemed to notice him. He considered himself a decent looking guy, but the number of women who seemed to throw themselves at him nowadays was mind boggling. Noticing a few of the high school girls whispering and throwing glances his way, Chuck just shook his head at not understanding his appeal.

Finally, his food arrived, and he ate it slowly. He wanted to properly enjoy it. Even though he was extremely hungry, he wanted to savor every last bite. He looked at the TV, which was currently playing a basketball game. He was never one for sports, but he didn't mind taking in a game every now and then. Mindless fluff, he considered it, but it seemed appropriate that he should watch something that gave him a temporary escape from his predicament, when he was planning on giving himself a permanent one.

For over 45 minutes, he sat quietly in his seat, watching the game and eating his food. As he predicted, it tasted great. He was thankful no one approached him. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, and having lies as his last words would have felt wrong. He finished sipping the last of his cola, left a sizable tip for the girl who brought his food and silently left. He got into the rental car he had picked up and drove for the woods.

He had been driving along a dirt path that looked like it hadn't been used in years, having left paved roads behind to make locating his vehicle harder once this was over, before finally spotting a cabin that looked abandoned. Leaving the car, he went to have a look around the cabin. As he guessed, it appeared as though no one had lived in the thing in a long while. There was dust coating the entire surface of the interior.

Chuck was able to pry open a couple of loose floorboards near the kitchen. He moved all of his gear into the opening it provided, leaving out only a 9mm, a silencer and whatever was on him. He placed the floorboards back in place, covering up his things. He needed it to look like he still had his things. He decided to have a look around the rest of the house, in part because if anyone managed to locate this place, he needed the whole cabin to look disturbed, not just where he had hidden his things.

He found very old cans of food in a pantry, as well as a few newspaper articles on the kitchen counter about wildfires. He surmised that the owner of the cabin had vacated due to the threat of the fires and assumed the cabin had been destroyed. 'Even better,' thought Chuck, 'it doesn't look like anyone will be coming this way anytime soon.'

After a half hour of sifting through the cabin, Chuck grabbed his gun, threw on his coat and started walking out into the woods. He would find a nice, hidden area of land to commit his final act of violence. After an hour's wandering through the woods, he found his final resting place. It was well off the beaten path, heavily guarded by trees and appeared to be vacant of any wildlife. Chuck pulled out his 9mm and slowly attached the silencer. He quickly went over everything again in his head.

'Katie safe, check.'

'Ellie and family safe, check.'

'Beckman pissed at me, check.'

'No one knowing my current whereabouts, check.'

Chuck smiled as he went over it all. It was just what he wanted. All those he cared about were safe as long as the government feared his attack. Even though he would be gone, the government not knowing would provide his family protection. He would never be found and finally the path of the destruction would end.

With shaking hands, Chuck clicked off the safety as he lowered himself to his knees. He took a few calming breaths but his heart still felt like it was going to throw itself from his chest. He put the tip of the gun to his temple and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to shift to her. She was the last thing he ever wanted to think about. Her eyes, her smile, her lips. As her image caused him to relax, he slowly started to squeeze the trigger.

RING! RING!

His sat phone going off startled him, causing him to fumble the gun. He heard the bullet whiz by the side of his face and out into the darkness. Heaving huge breaths, Chuck cursed loudly. The muzzle flash had burned the side of his face. He reached into his coat pocket to pull out the offending item.

"Hello," Chuck responded automatically.

"Chuck?" replied a timid voice. Chuck heard a sniffle.

"Katie, is that you? What's wrong? Where's Ellie?" Chuck went into panic mode.

"Chuck, I want you to come home. I don't like it here. I want to be with you."

Chuck sighed. "Katie, you can't. It's not safe for you with me."

"I don't care. You're supposed to take care of me. You were going to be my dad."

"What?" Chuck said softly. 'What was she talking about?'

"I never told you, but that…that night, when it…it happened, Mom was going to tell you she was pregnant. We were going to be a real family. I was finally going to have a real dad." Katie started crying.

Chuck tried to fight the tears, but it was losing effort. He was going to be a father, he was going to have a family but the goddamn Intersect had robbed him of that. 'Sarah robbed you of that,' he told himself honestly. Of course, she didn't know that, and neither did he at the time, but it was the truth.

"Chuck? Are you there?" Katie grew worried after he didn't respond.

"Yeah," Chuck stated after regaining some control, "yeah, I'm here."

"Chuck, I still want you to be my dad. You're all I have left. Don't leave me. I love you."

Chuck's heart broke at that statement. Even after the pain she endured because of him, she loved him. Chuck took another deep breath. She was depending on him, she needed him. He wouldn't abandon her. He wouldn't become his father, forsaking those that needed him. He was better than that.

"I love you too, Katie. I do. But I have something that I have to do before I can come back. Do you understand?"

"Yes," replied Katie. Chuck was sure her tone was more upbeat. "Please come home soon."

"I'll try Katie. I will. Let Aunt Ellie take care of you. Love you, and see you soon."

"I love you too…Dad." Chuck smiled as she finished. He was surprised he could feel happy, but he was. Katie was his savior.

Chuck got up and started making his way back to the cabin. It was time to reassess his situation, figure out a new plan of attack and maybe hone his skills again. There was only one place he was going to do that. Chuck dialed the number.

"Roy? It's Chuck. I'll be at your place tomorrow afternoon."

***

**_July 18, 2010 Flagstaff, Arizona 8:00 pm_**

Chuck was walking down a side street at a brisk pace. Thankfully he was close to Flagstaff when he got the call. Roy's contact had said that Orion could be found here. Roy's contact had been giving him false information all along, whether he knew it or not. Chuck doubted he did, otherwise he would have been captured by now. Chuck was sure it was another wild goose chase but decided he needed to investigate if it were true. If it was Orion, that would be great. If it was just another Fulcrum cell, well, Chuck wouldn't mind taking them out. It would help release some of the anger that had built up since Kristin's passing.

He spotted his target. It was a medium sized house in a little cul-de-sac. He looked around for a place to conduct surveillance on his target. He spotted a ten story office building about two blocks north from the house. It would give him a perfect vantage point of the front of the house, so he would be able to see who was coming and going. The problem was the building offered no viable escape routes if things got dicey. It was the only decent sized building in that area. He could become trapped if someone got his location.

Chuck glanced around. He noticed a string of office buildings off to the south of the house. They were about six blocks away, but he was sure he would be able to still monitor the house from there. He had his sniper scope with him, but not the rifle. It was a bit too bulky to carry. He used the scope to look at the buildings. He saw one had a sign out with the Rosoft Inc. on it. It was the tallest and would give him the best view. Also, there were buildings on either side of it, so leaping to either one was a viable option if it came to that.

Chuck made up his mind that the best place to go was the building to the south. While not the best place for surveillance, it would provide the best escape route. He made a promise to Katie that he would return and he intended to keep it. He began to walk towards his intended target, mentally preparing himself for whatever might lie ahead.

***

_**10:17 pm**_

Casey was sitting in the passenger seat of the Suburban. He was checking his gun, making sure it was ready. He looked up at the building they were about to enter, Rosoft Inc. Casey was pretty sure that Chuck would be in the high rise building to the north. That would be the best place to watch the house. It was why Casey chose that location. He had been planning this for awhile.

Casey had heard about the disaster in Charlottesville, though the details were sketchy. Apparently the CIA had found out where Bartowski had been hiding, but they led Fulcrum to him also. After it was over, the Fulcrum cell had been defeated, a civilian was dead, and Chuck was back on the run.

Casey used a few of the favors he had acquired as an agent to figure out how they had found Chuck. It apparently was because of a parking ticket and an overzealous cop. Casey had sifted through all the information he could get his hands on. The car was likely gone, but his new ID might still pop up, so he attached a red flag to it. He started going over the information on the ticket. It was the information about the car that piqued his interest. The registration said it belonged to a Roy Jones in Eugene, Oregon. Why did that sound familiar?

Casey thought about it for a long time before the realization hit him. The trucker Chuck got a ride from. His name was Roy and he lived in Eugene. This was the guy who had been helping Chuck. How could they not have seen it? He had been there since the beginning. Casey ran an extensive background check on the man, and what he found surprised him. The guy was ex-CIA, so he no doubt had friends in the CIA, maybe even the NSA. This was why Chuck was always showing up and taking out Fulcrum cells that were supposedly areas where Orion had been hiding.

Once Casey had figured it out, he started his planning. The idea was to lure Chuck out into the open for another shot at Orion. Casey had been planning the best place to take Chuck down. By saying that Orion was hiding in the cul-de-sac, he believed he was cornering Chuck into that lone high rise to the north. Once they identified him, they would move in.

Casey decided to use Rosoft Inc. as a place to set up surveillance on the building. He wasn't sure when Chuck would arrive, but he needed to be far enough away that Chuck wouldn't flash on anything or anyone. They had placed bugs all over the building. Casey knew Chuck likely had measures to counteract the bugs, but all he needed was just a voice sample, a frame of video, enough to give him a positive ID. There was no way Chuck would be able to take it all out.

The Suburban pulled up into the Rosoft Inc. parking lot. A second one followed. The two teams got out of each vehicle, each carrying large amounts of equipment for surveillance. It was a lot for just identifying someone, but Chuck was that important. Casey smiled at the thought that he was finally going to capture Chuck. He had been every bit as good as Casey had hoped, but the strain of government searches were likely taking their toll, allowing Casey this chance at victory. It felt wrong without Walker here. He'd tell her when it was over and Chuck was in a secure NSA facility. He owed her that much.

***

**_10:33 pm_**

Chuck was sitting in an abandoned office looking out of a north facing window. He had been watching the house for a few hours, but it didn't appear that anyone was home. Either that or they were already asleep. Chuck pulled a jar of peanut butter from his bag. He hadn't eaten in a while, and although he was craving a steak, the peanut butter would have to do.

He had one of the two laptops he recently purchased sitting on a card table that he found in the office. He had hacked into the building's security feeds, which were currently displayed on the monitor. He left his other computer at Roy's place. There, he had put together a search for Orion. It was flimsy and unlikely to work, but it was the best he could come up with for now. His best bet was to hack into the servers at the DNI, but he didn't think he was up to snuff when it came to that. Plus, that would draw even more attention on himself, which he didn't think he needed at the moment.

The small receiver he had sitting next to his computer started pulsing a red light. It was his motion detectors. Someone had set them off. He had set them all along the hallway that his office connected to. He quickly went to his monitors and saw Casey with about 10 other men. 'Oh fuck!' Chuck thought furiously. The team appeared to be carrying equipment, so he would momentarily have the upper hand for a surprise attack. He had no way out of this room except for the door and the hallway. It would be too noisy to try and break the wall into another. He also had nothing waiting for him outside the window except the pavement. 'So much for viable escape routes,' he thought to himself.

Chuck quickly put his laptop and receiver into his bag. He grabbed both his 9mms and a couple of flash bangs. Thankfully Roy had restocked his inventory and seemed glad to give some to Chuck. He didn't like his chances, but it was the best he could do on short notice. He went to the door, prepared the flash bangs, opened the door and threw them in the hallway in each direction.

He could hear their cries as crashes sounded in the hallway. The equipment they had been holding was discarded in an attempt to shield themselves. Chuck moved quickly into the hallway. The team members on the right of the door were on the ground, holding their eyes, while those on the left of the door were leaning against the wall trying to clear the cobwebs out.

Chuck efficiently made his way left of the door to those who were standing and promptly shot them in the knee. It was difficult to see through the smoke, but he got close enough to know what he was doing. He didn't need to kill them, but he didn't want them to follow him either. After shooting about a half dozen of them, he made his way to the ones who were right of the door. They were starting to get their footing. He was getting ready to shoot the first one in the knee when he felt the bullet hit his thigh. It dropped him to one knee and his instincts took over. Quickly, he proceeded to shoot those who had just stood up three times in the chest. Each crumpled to a heap on the floor, dead.

Chuck made his way over to where his shooter was. Not surprisingly, it was Casey. He had been lying down when he fired at Chuck, and Chuck killing of the agents had brought them down on top of him. He was pinned to the floor, unable to defend himself. The smoke had cleared enough that the two men were staring at each other.

Never in a million years did Chuck believe that it would be Casey who would be staring down the barrel of his gun when they finally collided with each other. He allowed himself a small grin at the thought that he had beaten Casey.

Casey was looking up at Chuck. His mind was reeling. He couldn't believe it would end like this, at the hands of the nerd. Chuck had that stupid grin on his face and it was pissing Casey off. He just killed three agents and had the nerve to smile at Casey. Casey gave him the biggest scowl he could muster.

As Casey's scowl became more pronounced, Chuck grabbed his gun by the barrel and swung it at Casey, hitting him on the right side of the face. Ever the hulking man, the first blow only dazed Casey. He was still conscious, so Chuck brought the gun back across the left side of his face, promptly knocking him out.

Chuck gathered up his gear and quickly left the hallway. He could hear the moans as he descended the stairwell as fast as he could. He called 911 to let them know about the shooting. Chuck found a car that looked like it would be fast and stole it. As he reached the outskirts of the city limits, it was only then did he remember he had a bullet in his leg. He also just killed three federal agents and wounded several others. Any chance at a life after the Intersect was removed was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Well, with football season in full swing, my writing time has considerably shrunk. Don't worry though, this story is about over, just a couple more chapters. Thanks to the TheJusta for his beta work on this puppy. Any mistakes are still mine, however. This chapter is only about half as long as what I usually post, but something is better than nothing. Me not owning Chuck still applies, as always. I appreciate all the reviews, so please, keep them coming. I'll do my best to finish this thing as soon as I can. For now, please enjoy!_

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 9

**_July 19, 2010 Flagstaff, Arizona_**

"YOU'RE WHAT!?" Sarah exclaimed.

"I'm bringing him Orion," Bryce repeated with an annoyed voice. "I won't hash out the details over the phone but I can help Chuck get it out. Once it is out, he'll be free of this, of us."

"Bryce, things have changed. Last night he took out three NSA agents. They aren't going to leave him alone, regardless of if it's in or out."

She heard Bryce swear and then start conversing quickly with another man, presumably Orion. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but they seemed to be forming some sort of plan.

Bryce sighed into the phone. "I think we've figured out a way for him to stay out of jail, but he'll still need it out. How soon can you be in LA?"

"Why?" Sarah asked slowly.

"Because I'm going to need help and selling this idea is going to be hard enough as it is."

"We can be there in a few hours."

"We?" Bryce's tone was not exactly happy.

"Yeah, I'm bringing Casey."

Casey looked at Sarah in surprise, but didn't mind being included, especially if it could resolve this mess before it got any worse. When she threw him a glance, he nodded, acknowledging that he was with her. With it seeming as if this nightmare with Bartowski was reaching the end, it seemed only right that they finished it working together again.

Bryce mulled things over silently. "That's actually good. It'll make our story more believable for the CIA and NSA. But Chuck can have no idea what we are going to do."

"Bryce, what exactly are you planning?" Sarah was nervous.

"I'm planning to help my friend. I know he'll be pretty pissed off over what will happen, but I have to help him. I can deal with that. Can you?" Bryce hadn't forgotten about Sarah's feelings for Chuck.

Sarah was torn. She couldn't bear the thought of Chuck hating her, of losing him forever over this. He was her ticket to a real life, a real family. On the other hand, this was a chance to free him of the Intersect. He deserved that, no matter what it cost her.

"We're in."

"Good. Get to LA. I'll fill you in when you get here. The old safehouse, you know the one."

***

_**The Bird Feeder Diner**_

"Listen, I want you guys to go to Burbank, keep an eye on my sister and her family," Chuck stated to his tablemates.

Lily shook her head, throwing a quick glance at Roy. "No, Chuck, we should be here with you."

Chuck gave them an appreciative smile. "I know you guys want to help me, but it feels like we're approaching the end. I want to know my family is safe if things go bad. Can you do that for me?"

Lily and Roy nodded reluctantly.

"You take care of yourself," added Roy as they got up to leave, "I still want that beer."

Chuck gave him a genuine grin as he watched them leave. As he watched them pull out, his thoughts turned to Orion. He seemed like the real deal, showing him something that would make him flash. Chuck was getting desperate. The want to return home to Ellie and Katie was overwhelming, which was allowing him to sit there while this stranger was coming. It wasn't smart but chances need to be taken, given what transpired the other night.

He threw his shades on and glanced out the window looking at nothing in particular. He saw a black sedan pull into the lot. Looking closely, Chuck saw two figures emerge from the car. 'No fuckin' way!' Chuck said to himself. He sat there in a daze as Bryce Larkin and his father approached the diner. 'What the hell is going on?' Chuck pulled the gun from his back on laid it on the seat next to him, not certain of what was going to happen, but feeling the need to be ready for anything.

Bryce walked into the diner, holding the door for Stephen Bartowski. Stephen gave the diner a once over before heading to take a seat opposite to Chuck, smiling at his son. Bryce joined the elder Bartowski and greeted Chuck with a grin.

They sat in an awkward silence for about a minute, with Chuck eyeing Bryce suspiciously and his father apprehensively, until a waitress came over.

"Can I get anybody anything?" asked the young woman.

"Three coffees, please," replied Stephen with a smile.

As the woman left, Bryce finally decided to get the ball rolling.

"Well, I gotta say, I like the new look Chuck." Bryce couldn't believe that this guy with short, spiky hair and a beard was his best friend. Chuck threw him an annoyed look as he removed his sunglasses. Bryce noticed his eyes lacked the liveliness that he was so used to seeing from his friend.

Turning back to his father, Chuck asked, "What's going on? Why are you here…with Bryce?"

"Umm, well, the thing is," Stephen started rambling, "I asked Bryce to bring me here. We're here to help."

"How can you help? How can either of you help?"

"Well, the thing is son, I'm Orion," Stephen finished, looking out the window.

Chuck's jaw dropped. "What?" he whispered. "How can…wait…does this mean…" Chuck had trouble deciding which question he wanted to ask first.

"Look, I'll explain things as best I can. The whole story will take too long. Why don't I start around the time I found out that the rogue agent, who happened to be you, was looking for me?"

Chuck nodded as the waitress gave them their coffees. Stephen mumbled thanks and took a sip. Bryce got more comfortable and started glancing around looking at nothing in particular. He knew most of the story, so there was no need to take part in it once again.

"Well, I figured out someone was looking for me when I checked on my situation," Stephen started.

"What do you mean, 'checked on your situation'?" Chuck asked.

"I may have hacked into the DNI mainframe to see what was being done to find me, whether or not they were close to finding me. Anyway, the point is, I saw that efforts by everyone, CIA, NSA, Fulcrum were all increased. I also saw something about some rogue agent hunting me. I tried to inquire about it, but all I got was a serial number, nothing useful. So I started leaving hints to my whereabouts all over the country, hoping that maybe everyone would just kill themselves and I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore."

"Everything changed when I figured out it was you that was hunting me. I still had yet to find anything out about the rogue agent. I surmised that he may have had an Intersect in his head. Why else would an agent be on his own looking for me? So, I set up the Fulcrum agents in Miami and waited. I had surveillance on that place and when I saw it was you, Charles, you don't know how much it crushed me. I saw what you had become, and at that moment I started working on a way to remove the Intersect. I also tried to contact you, but you fell off the grid. I searched as hard as I could, but you disappeared. I made contact with Bryce shortly afterwards, telling him what was going on with your situation, and he agreed to help."

"A couple of months ago, I found out about Charlottesville. I saw how the CIA found you, made the connection from the car to Roy, and then I decided to locate near him. I've been hiding out near there since then. I was hoping you would show up there, but you never did. Bryce contacted me about a week ago to tell me he had information that Fulcrum had recently completed building an Intersect room. We agreed that it would be best for everyone if, first, we removed the Intersect from your head, and second, destroyed the Intersect room they have built."

"Wait," Chuck interrupted, "Fulcrum has an Intersect room, but no Intersect?"

"I'm not sure about that," Bryce finally chipped in, "but my intel suggests they had the room built recently, so it is likely that they are in the final testing stages for their Intersect. That's why we need to act fast, as in tonight."

"Right," Stephen continued. "As I was saying, I saw your friend Roy leave his house in a hurry, so I followed. It seemed likely that he was meeting you and he did, so I made contact, which brings us to right now."

Chuck nodded. He was processing as fast as he could. His father was Orion, he could remove the Intersect, Fulcrum was close to their own Intersect and it may all be over after tonight. One problem seemed a little glaring so he decided to mention it.

"The three of us are going to break into a heavily guarded Fulcrum facility, by ourselves?"

"Not exactly," Bryce said without meeting his friends' eyes.

Chuck eyes narrowed as he knew who Bryce had called for help. "Look, me and Sarah aren't exactly BFF's anymore. Plus, she is hunting me. Casey too."

"I know they are, but Chuck, give yourself a little credit. You've changed Sarah. She's not the person I was partners with anymore. And you may not believe it, but I know she wants to help. Casey…well…don't worry about Casey. You've softened him, believe me. I've heard he actually arrests people now instead of just killing them."

"Look son," Stephen added, "They are our best shot. I know you don't trust them, and I'm sorry that this has ruined your faith in people, but trust me. Trust Bryce. He could have turned me in, but he didn't. He's risking a lot to help me and you."

Chuck glanced at Bryce, who was staring at him. Chuck didn't know what to think. Bryce's betrayal at Stanford was an attempt to save him. 'He sent me the Intersect because he trusted me. He said I was his only friend.' Chuck believed Bryce would never intentionally hurt him, but that didn't mean others wouldn't, like Sarah and Casey.

"Okay, I'm in," Chuck finally stated. Stephen heaved a sigh of relief while Bryce grinned.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the head before we take off." Bryce got up and went to the bathroom.

Once Bryce was out of earshot, Chuck quickly spoke to his father. "Do you know where this Fulcrum place is? How to get there?"

"Yeah, I got everything we need to plan this."

"Okay good cause we are leaving."

"What, why?"

"Because we need to maintain distance between the others. I'm not sure what's going on, but it doesn't feel right. Three agents to take out a Fulcrum facility that could be housing an Intersect. I'd send everybody. I think it may be a set up to get us both captured."

Stephen flinched, but responded, "The intel is good. I know, I've looked."

"That may be, but I'm still nervous about Sarah and Casey, more specifically Casey. I'm sure you know what happened the other night."

"Yeah, I know," Stephen stated sadly.

"Right, so that's why we need to separate ourselves. We'll watch them. If it looks okay, then we can join in. If not, we back off and figure something out."

Chuck started ushering them out of the diner quickly as Stephen weakly protested.

Bryce returned to the booth to find it empty with a note and a set of keys on the table.

'_See you tonight. Be careful with the car, it ain't mine.'_

_-Chuck-_

Bryce sighed at the note. He picked up the keys and went to find his ride back to LA.

***

_**Los Angeles, Cailfornia Bryce's Safehouse**_

Sarah and Casey had finally arrived in Los Angeles. It had taken more time to get there than Sarah had anticipated, mainly due to the fact that she was driving an SUV. She made Casey aware of what she thought of his transport as she sped along at only 105 mph. Casey tried to ignore her, feigning sleep in the hope that silence would dull the throbbing that continued to pulse inside of his head.

Sarah had tried to make conversation with Casey along the way, but got no response. Now all she was left with was her thoughts, which she didn't want to deal with. They mostly centered around Chuck and what his response would be to seeing her. Every scenario she played out in her head ended badly and as they neared LA, her grip on the steering wheel became progressively tighter. Now, standing outside the door to Bryce's safehouse only a few feet from Chuck, her nerves were beginning to betray her. She had never felt this much anxiety about anything before, but the thought of seeing Chuck was affecting her in a way she never thought possible.

She knocked on the door of Bryce's safehouse, which was a crappy studio apartment. He opened the door a moment later and let both Sarah and Casey in. Sarah did a visual sweep, which didn't take long, and noted that Chuck was not there. She let out a breath she didn't remember she was holding and then looked at Bryce with confusion, as did Casey.

"Yeah," Bryce started, noticing the looks he was getting, "Chuck isn't here."

"Where is he?" Casey asked.

"Umm, not sure," Bryce replied, "but he'll be there tonight when we go in."

Casey snorted in disgust and shook his head. "Well, where is Orion?"

Bryce swallowed. Casey noticed and shook his head even more.

"Christ, Larkin. You let Bartowski get away with Orion."

"Look, Chuck doesn't trust anyone. How the hell was I supposed to convince him that you two actually want to help him, especially considering that you," he looked at Casey, "nearly had him captured last night and you," he threw a look at Sarah, "were responsible for Charlottesville?"

"Easy," Casey quipped back, "don't tell him were coming."

Bryce shook his head in exasperation. "Look, he's not naïve anymore. He didn't believe for a second that me, him, and Orion could infiltrate a Fulcrum facility. He knew I'd need help and that I'd ask for yours. He's waiting for a double cross, which sadly has to happen."

"Wait, why does that happen? What's the plan?" Sarah asked. This plan didn't sound like it was going to help Chuck at all.

"In a nutshell, once Chuck has the Intersect removed, we capture him."

***

**_Los Angeles, California A Local Pizzeria_**

"So, that's the plan," Stephen finished and took another bite of his pizza. "We go in after they do, head down to the Intersect room, remove the Intersect, and escape before they even know we're gone."

Chuck nodded. It sounded simple, but he knew the odds of getting out of this alive and not captured were slim to none. Still, he had managed to elude the CIA and NSA for the better part of a year and a half, so maybe another small miracle could still be achieved. Now that the mission planning was finished, he could finally talk to his father, not Orion.

"So," Chuck started, "how's life on the run? Yours has to be better than mine."

Stephen gave him a sad smile. "It was boring, for the most part. I really missed you and Eleanor, but if being away from you meant you would be safe, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." He paused. "I'm sorry you've had to go through this. If I had known the Intersect would make its way to you, I would have destroyed it and my research when I left."

Chuck nodded. He was still trying to process the idea of his father as Orion. He understood his reason for leaving, and even though he would rather have had his father stay in his life, the fact that he did to protect his family filled Chuck with relief. His father didn't abandon him and still loved him.

Chuck wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't know what to ask. His thoughts were swirling with mission plans, building details and Fulcrum agents so much so that he couldn't focus. He glanced over and saw a teenager playing _Time Crisis_. The kid was decent player, but his stance was off and the way he held the gun meant his aim was misaligned. Chuck shook his head at those thoughts. Even video games had lost their innocence now.

Chuck glanced down at his watch. It was almost time for their mission to start. The building would be least occupied after 10:00 pm and that was when the guards changed shifts. They had a small window in which they could infiltrate unnoticed. From there, Chuck and his father would head down to the Intersect room while Bryce, Casey, and Sarah would try to access as much Fulcrum intelligence as they could.

"Well, looks like it's time," Chuck finally declared taking one last bite of his food.

"Okay, son, let's go," Stephen declared. Chuck followed his father out the door and to the Sedan. Without speaking, they drove to their destination.

***

_**Los Angeles, California Secret Fulcrum Intersect Facility**_

Bryce, Sarah, and Casey were waiting in their car. The new group of security was supposed to be coming anytime, but they appeared to be late. Bryce kept his eyes peeled for movement, Sarah was going over supplies for the fifth time, and Casey was unconsciously stroking his shotgun. Finally, an SUV pulled up and four men got out.

Bryce pulled out his 9mm and attached a silencer. Sarah grabbed her knife and threw the supply bag over her shoulder. Casey silently cocked the shotgun. In matter of seconds, the Fulcrum security team was killed. The three quickly put the bodies back in the SUV, grabbed the necessary keycards and security ID's and entered the facility from the rear.

A few blocks away, Chuck pulled the scope away from his eye. He had watched the whole thing, Bryce killing two men with head shots, Sarah lodging her knife another man's throat and Casey knocking his attacker on the head with his shotgun and then breaking his neck. They were quiet, efficient, and without emotion or hesitation. Awhile ago, the acts he had witnessed would have sickened him. Now, he watched people he knew commit terrible acts and thought nothing of it.

After waiting two minutes, Chuck noticed no backup anywhere around the building. Deciding that the coast was clear, he motioned for Orion to follow him. The two of them made their way to the rear of the building, noticing that a keycard and ID had been left on the ground near the door. Chuck grinned, picked up the items, ran the keycard through the scanner and walked into the now open door.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: First off, apologies for the extended length between updates. However, the final chapter is very close to done, so it should be up in a few days, so YAY for that. Thanks again to TheJusta for the beta, always finding my mistakes. However, any mistakes are still mine. Again, thanks to all of you who reviewed. I know I hardly ever respond to the reviews, but I due appreciate them. Standard disclaimer about me not owning Chuck still applies. So please, read, review, and enjoy._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 10

**_July 19, 2010 Los Angeles, California Secret Fulcrum Intersect Facility_**

After the trio of Bryce, Casey and Sarah gained access to the building via the backdoor, Casey immediately went into the security room located on the left side of the narrow hallway. Upon his entrance, the three remaining members of the security team that were supposed to be leaving for the night stood up. Casey quickly killed all three with located shots to their hearts. He took a seat at the security console and stared at the many different screens showing different portions of the building. Noticing a lack of activity throughout the building, he radioed to Bryce.

"Everything appears quiet. Now would be a good time to start."

"Roger that," Bryce responded.

Bryce quickly started walking down the hallway, with Sarah falling in line behind him. The two quickly entered the lobby area, which was dark and empty. They noticed a few offices at the opposite end of the room, but they weren't the intended destination. Walking quickly across the marble floor, the pair entered an elevator. Bryce pushed the little number eight as the door closed. He then turned to Sarah, who was staring straight ahead, almost in daze. He noticed she had been unusually quiet and not really focused on the mission.

"Hey, are you going to be able to go through with this?"

Sarah stood still for a few seconds before responding. "Yes, I will. I'm just worried about Chuck's reaction. He might end up hurting himself. I still think we should tell him what's going on."

Bryce shook his head. "Look, Sarah, we'll tell him everything when it's over. But right now, we can't. Hell, it's not like he'd believe us anyway. And even if he did, I doubt he'd approve."

Sarah, sensing the wisdom behind Bryce's words, nodded. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The duo knew something was amiss. They both smelled smoke. Quickly pulling their guns, they exited the elevator and took up defensive positions on the sides of the wall.

Bryce radioed Casey, "What the hell's going on the 8th floor Casey?"

"Nothing. Everything is normal." Casey was looking at screens, seeing nothing moving. In fact, he didn't see Walker or Larkin. "Hey, I can't see you guys on the monitors. Something is going on here."

The sound of broken glass a floor above Casey got his attention. He glanced at the monitor and again saw nothing. "Hey, you guys, the feeds are all looped. I heard activity above me, I'm going to go check it out."

"No, Casey," interrupted Sarah, "you have to keep an eye on Chuck so we know when we can grab him."

Casey really wanted to get in on some action, but he knew his role was to watch the nerd. "Fine. Watch your asses." Casey moved over to the door and wormed a camera under it facing into the hallway so he knew when Bartowski entered the building.

***

Bryce and Sarah crouched as they walked carefully down the hallway. The saw a door cracked open and entered it. Chaos met their eyes. Papers were strewn about, things all over the floor and a man was dead, hunched over in his chair, laying on his desk. All of his file cabinets were open, as if someone was searching for something. Sarah moved her way to the cabinets and gave everything a quick look. It appeared that some files were missing.

"Looks like someone beat us here," Bryce quipped as he picked up a couple sheets of paper off of the desk. "Do you know what they were looking for?"

"I don't know," Sarah replied. "It appears they just took random files, probably to mask what they were really after."

Bryce nodded in agreement. "Well, our intel is Holmes' office at the end of the hallway. Let's hope they didn't take that."

The pair exited the office and stealthily made their way to the end of the hallway to Holmes' door. It too was cracked open. Bryce pushed the door open. He and Sarah occupied the doorway, guns pointing forward ready for anything. Again, the office was in shambles and Holmes was dead, a bullet lodged into his forehead.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bryce said in annoyance. Someone had been in the building, completely wiped out everyone, ransacked the place and nobody was any the wiser.

"Quick, look and see if your intel is in here," Sarah said. It had been been almost 20 minutes since they had entered the building. This whole thing was supposed to take about 30. As Bryce rifled through the file cabinets, Sarah booted up the computer. Bryce made a noise of anger and disappointment.

"The Intersect plans aren't here. Neither is the intelligence that was supposed to go into it."

"Well, I think this should help us out," Sarah said cheerfully as she looked at the computer screen. It was the entire roster of Fulcrum operatives and scientists. She placed a jump drive into the USB port and copied the data.

"Doesn't this seem a little bit too easy? I mean, who would leave this data out in the open to be stolen so easily?" Bryce asked.

"I don't know, but the names are good. Some of them are familiar," Sarah answered pointing at the screen. Bryce looked. Indeed, some of the names were Fulcrum agents that he had encountered in the past.

"This doesn't make any sense." Bryce shook his head as Sarah pocketed the jump drive.

Suddenly, the bug in his ear chirped. "Bryce, it's Orion. It's done, it's out. Hurry and get him before he wakes."

Sarah saw Bryce twist his head, and she knew that it was Orion he was listening to. He gave her a look and nodded. She sighed with relief. Bryce spoke into his watch to Casey. "Casey, get a move on Chuck. The process of de-Intersecting knocked him out. We'll be able to get him without a fight."

Silence.

"Casey, are you there, copy?"

Silence.

"Shit!" Bryce spoke to Sarah. "Looks like we have to do this the hard way. You want the stairs or the elevator?"

***

As Chuck and Orion entered the backdoor, Chuck did a quick scan of the scene. A long hallway with doors on either side. Chuck didn't like the idea of having to move down the hallway after he saw Bryce, Casey and Sarah already come through this area. They could be waiting to grab him. Orion gave him a small shove in the back to indicate that he needed to move forward. Reluctantly, he moved his feet and ever so slowly, the duo made their way into the lobby area.

Walking quickly across the lobby, Chuck reached the stairs first. He carefully pushed the door to the stairwell open and looked inside. It was empty, just like everything else in the building appeared to be. Something didn't feel right for Chuck, but he moved forward nevertheless. He and Orion quickly descended two flights of stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, Chuck finally pulled his gun. If the Intersect room was indeed located here, Chuck anticipated encountering some security. He gripped the handle tightly and pushed the door open.

Again, the duo was met with an empty hallway with long, white walls. There was one door located at the far end. Chuck scanned the area, looking for booby traps or devices that would kill them if they entered the hallway. He saw nothing except a pair of cameras located just above the far door. He proceeded forward, Orion following closely behind him.

As soon as he stepped into the hallway, the opaque white walls became clear and transparent. Chuck quickly spun around in a circle looking for something to fire at, but found nothing. A closer look revealed that it was a laboratory located on either side of him. He pressed his face to the glass to get a better look. A scene of devastation met his eyes. Scientists dead bodies were scattered all over the place. Instruments, computers, and other expensive equipment was strewn about while the room was riddled with bullet holes.

Chuck stepped to the other side and saw the same thing except something else was different. A body, dressed in tactical gear, was dead on the floor. Chuck felt the tickle at the base of brain like he wanted to flash, but he couldn't quite get there. He squinted so he could get a better look, and that's when it hit him. It was probably the weakest flash he'd ever had, a document about some organization named FEAR, of which Fulcrum was a subsidiary, but it floored him.

Breathing heavily, he felt his father put a hand on his back. "Charles, what is it? What did you see?"

"Just a single document, nothing much. But it was buried pretty deep, almost hidden. I've never had to strain so hard to flash."

Orion soothingly rubbed his son's back before helping him to his feet. "Well, how about we make it so you never have to flash again?"

Chuck gave his father a grin and the pair walked to the end of the hallway. Taking a deep breath, Chuck gripped the handle and opened the door.

The Intersect room was dark, with only a faint glow coming for the monitor sitting in the middle of the room providing any light. As the pair crossed the threshold, they both noticed that the room was far warmer than the hallway they had just vacated. Quickly making their way to the monitor, the duo started working. Orion set his bag on the ground and started fishing through it. Chuck turned the monitor on and again noticed that it was warm.

"Must be they were running some tests when they were attacked by the FEAR team."

"FEAR team?" questioned Orion, who had finally located what he was looking for. It was a small plastic object, no bigger than a cell phone.

"Yeah, they are some organization that Fulcrum is a part of. I wonder why they would attack their own people?"

Orion frowned. That didn't make any sense to him either. "Don't worry about it. That's not your concern anymore."

Chuck opened his mouth to argue, but his father was right. He was here to get the Intersect out of his head, not gather intelligence or capture an enemy agent. Noticing the small object in his father's hand, he asked, "What's that thing?"

"This is what will remove the Intersect from your head," Orion answered as he pushed the object into the small opening at the base of the monitor. Once it was entered, the room filled with light and Chuck looked around in amazement. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of blanks screens were now filled with white instead of black. Orion quickly typed away at the computer, readying it. After a couple minutes furious work, everything was ready.

"Ready son?" Orion asked as he looked up from the monitor.

Chuck closed his eyes and tons of images flashed across his mind. The terrible things he'd done, the men he had killed and Kristin's dead body turned into Katie, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome and his father. He'd have a home and a family again. He would finally have his life back. He smiled.

"You bet I am."

Orion grinned as he placed a pair of dark sunglasses on his face. Chuck moved to the center of the room and gave his father a nod. Orion looked from Chuck to the computer, then pressed down hard on the 'enter' key.

The room quickly went black for a second before filling with color as image after image filled every screen in the room. For more than a minute, Chuck stood in the center of the room, eyes unfocused. Orion watched in apprehension. His theory was sound, but it was only that, a theory. It had never been tested before. But if his theory on the Intersect could work for his son, then his theory for removing it would likely work as well.

The test concluded and the screens became white again. Chuck teetered for a second before falling straight back. He landed with a resounding crash and the back of his head managed to crack one of the screens on the floor. Orion quickly rushed to him. He felt for a pulse and found one, strong and steady. He nervously opened one of Chuck's eyelids. He remembered what had happened to his colleagues' eyes all those years ago. Chuck's eyes looked normal and responded well to light. It appeared that his efforts were successful.

Orion quickly went and grabbed his bag. He then made his way back over to Chuck. Looking down at his son, he whispered, "I'm sorry Charles, but it's the only way. Like I said, I'll do anything to protect you." He exited the Intersect room at a trot. Back in the hallway, he rifled through his bag as he neared the stairwell. He pulled out the device he was looking for, a pen. He twisted it and then spoke into it.

"Bryce, it's Orion. It's done, it's out. Hurry and get him before he wakes." He twisted the pen again and put it back into this bag. The door to the stairwell opened and Casey entered. Orion was about to speak when Casey preempted him.

"I heard you, I'll go get him." With that Casey moved towards the door at the end of the hallway, glancing through the glass walls every second step or so.

Orion watched for a moment before heading up the stairs. He had one more stop to make before everything was over.

***

Chuck's eyes fluttered open. He didn't have a clue as to how long he had been unconscious. The throbbing he felt throughout his head wasn't doing much to make him feel better. Moving into a seated position, he looked around. He was still in the Intersect room. He scanned the room again and noticed something was missing. 'Where is Dad?' he thought to himself.

He groaned as he brought his body to a standing position. He quickly rushed to the exit, the need to find his father filling him. As he grabbed the door handle, he heard footsteps on the other side. Someone was coming for him. He moved himself to the side of the door and waited.

Casey pushed the door open. He stepped in and saw no body laying unconscious on the ground. Before he had time to grab his gun, Chuck had delivered a devastating blow to the back of Casey's head with the butt of his gun.

'See, you couldn't trust them?' he told himself. 'They grabbed your father while you were unconscious and then they came back for you. He was the priority, since he's Orion. Now that you have the Intersect out, you're expendable.'

Chuck was getting ready to leave when he heard Casey's radio come to life. It was Bryce. Chuck resisted the urge to grab the radio and communicate some of the thoughts that were coursing through his head at that moment. He ran down the hallway to the stairwell. He heard a door open above him. It was many floors up, but he needed to be quiet. Bryce and Sarah knew he was mobile.

He quickly made his way to the lobby floor and carefully pushed the door open. He spotted no one in his first scan of the room, and was ready to step out into the lobby when the elevator door dinged and out stepped Sarah. Their eyes met. Hers were filled with shock while his were filled with rage. Chuck quickly closed the door as Sarah took off sprinting at him.

Chuck took the stairs two at a time. He leaned over the rail a bit and looked up as he ascended the stairs. He could see the figure of Bryce quickly descending the stairs. He reached the third floor and entered it. He looked for something to throw in front of the door to impede the progress of Bryce and Sarah, but he found nothing.

As he moved down the hallway, he closed his eyes. He had planned exit strategies in the case that he had been set up. He mentally mapped his location in his head. The offices to his right were no good. To his left, there was a neighboring building. The leap was longer than he wanted to make, but he had to take a chance.

He burst into the first office to his left. Chuck looked around for moment before assessing the situation. An employee was dead at his desk. All his work and belongings had been rifled through. Chuck noticed a few bullet holes in the window that was also a glass wall to the outside. He unceremoniously dumped the dead man onto the floor, took the chair and threw it at the window. It caused the window to shatter into a tons of of tiny shards.

Chuck knew the noise would alert Sarah and Bryce, but he also wasn't counting on them being right outside the office he was occupying when he made the noise. Bryce kicked opened the door. He and Sarah entered with guns drawn. All they saw was Chuck's back as he stood still to the left of the desk. His gun was pointing uselessly at the floor and he was staring out of the now shattered window.

"Chuck," Bryce stated, "It's over."

"You know," Chuck replied, still looking forward, "I really wanted to believe that you wanted to help me. I did. I should've know better."

"Chuck, it's not what you think," Sarah added.

Chuck allowed himself a small chuckle. "Isn't it, though? You are trying to bring me in, right? Even though the Intersect is out, even after all I've done for the government, I still can't go free?" He shook his head.

"Chuck..." Sarah started but she was interrupted.

"How long you think that jump is?" Chuck asked aloud.

Bryce and Sarah threw each other a glance. They both took a step towards Chuck but it was no use. Chuck took off running and leapt when he reached the end of the room. As he sailed in the air, he felt remarkably comfortable. The cool air felt good on his sweaty face and the feeling of being suspended in midair seemed to momentarily lift all the burdens that filled him back on solid ground.

As Chuck got closer to the building he was jumping at, he fired a few shots at window where he thought he was going to land. He closed his eyes as he got closer to the window. In real time, it was taking only seconds, but for Chuck, he felt like he had been in the air for an eternity. He burst through the weakened glass, but not knowing the layout of the room he jumped into, crashed into a desk placed near the back of the room. His ribs were exposed from being stretched out during the jump, so they hit directly along the edge of the desk. The sudden stop of movement jerked his top half forward and for the second time in a matter of minutes, his head received a sharp blow. This one knocked him unconscious as he fell off of the desk and onto the floor, blood pooling from the nasty cut just below his hairline.

Back at the Fulcrum facility, Bryce and Sarah stood at the edge of the window. Sarah managed to stifle a cry as she watched Chuck leap from the room and Bryce watched the whole thing in shock. They moved to the edge of the room as Chuck sailed through the air, and now could see that he wasn't moving.

"I'll go and check on him," Sarah said frantically and raced from the room.

Bryce barely noticed her go. The whole scene was surreal. It felt so out of place, so wrong. The lanky, shy, nerd he knew from Stanford was gone and there was no going back. Bryce looked down at his feet and felt guilty for the first time in a long while. Not even getting Chuck kicked out of Stanford made him feel guilty because he knew he was saving Chuck and that was enough for him. But this, what Chuck had turned into, he blamed on himself.

He pulled out his cell phone and called in some support. They need to figure out what the hell happened to this place and why. Then he called Bennett to let him know that they had finally captured Chuck. To say Bennett was excited was an understatement. The local CIA facility was where Chuck was to be taken. Finally, Bryce left the window ledge and went to find Casey.

***

**_Exact Location Unknown_**

A man of about 30 years of age was speeding through the desert at an indecent speed on his crotch rocket. Despite the chill from the wind, he felt no need to zip up his jacket. He was feeling an intense rush of euphoria and excitement. It had all been successful and everything had gone according to plan. Things rarely worked out so well in his line of work, but this had and he couldn't believe it.

After 30 minutes of more travel, he reached his destination, an abandoned diner. The windows were boarded up, and the place was coated with dirt. He apprehensively approached the building, making sure to keep his gun drawn and at the ready. He never met his boss in person, so he wasn't sure whether this was a trap or not.

He stepped into the diner and saw no one. He narrowed his eyes, hoping that the small amount of moonlight coming through the boarded windows would help him see better. He wondered for a moment if he had beaten his boss to the location, but the sound of a man clearing his throat quickly quelled that thought.

"Please, come and sit," the older gentlemen offered. He was in a booth at the back of diner.

The young man walked to the voice, recognizing it as that of his boss. He quickly to a seat on the opposite side of the booth.

"I trust that everything went well?" the older man questioned.

"Yes, sir. It was a complete success. Tests confirmed it. Your orders were followed. Any evidence of our involvement was removed and the those who knew of our involvement were killed."

"Ah, good. I hope you are ready for work."

"I am, sir. Ready to be the best there is, was or ever will be," the young man said proudly.

The older gentlemen smiled. "That's good to hear. Here." A plane ticket was pushed across the table. "I hope you enjoy Paris, Agent Weaving."

Grinning, Weaving took the ticket and pocketed it.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Well, to those of you still reading, we have reached the end...of sorts. I hope that I managed to do this ending justice, but I'm just not sure. Big thanks to TheJusta for beta-ing this bad boy and getting it back to me quickly. Any mistakes are still mine however. Standard disclaimer of me owning nothing Chuck related applies. I've appreciated all the reviews I've gotten for this story, they've helped motivate at times when I wanted to do nothing. So, read, review, and enjoy._

**Chuck vs. The Grid**

Chapter 11

_**July 20, 2010 Los Angeles, California CIA Facility**_

Chuck struggled to open his eyes. They felt a lot heavier than then should have. He tried to bring a hand up to wipe some of the sleep out of them but both his arms were strapped to whatever he was laying on. He tried to move his legs, but they were strapped down as well. His eyes shot open at the realization that he couldn't move.

He quickly had to shut them as the fluorescent lights on the ceiling caused little daggers of pain to flare up behind his eyeballs. He took a few calming breaths and tried to assess his situation. Eyes still closed, he thought back to the previous night. He and his father infiltrated the Fulcrum lab. Orion was able to remove the Intersect. Then his father was gone. The next thing he knew, Casey, Sarah and Bryce were trying to capture him. He leaped from the Fulcrum building to another building across the alleyway and then it went dark. That was it.

He remembered greeting the desk in the office with his face, which must have knocked him unconscious. Sarah or Bryce must have come over and taken his lifeless body back to a CIA facility. He started laughing, but it was forced and hollow, as if he was mocking himself. After everything he had done, after being on the run for over a year and a half, after finally getting the Intersect out, he got caught. 'Just my luck,' he thought bitterly to himself. He opened his eyes again and just stared at the ceiling because there wasn't much else to look at. He knew there was a two way mirror to his left, but he wouldn't give whoever was monitoring him the satisfaction of acknowledging them.

He let out a sigh. One way or another, it was finally over. No more running, no more killing, no more Intersect. That thought alone was enough to quell the anger he felt. Casey, Sarah and Bryce were probably behind that mirror watching him. His betrayers. He knew it would happen, but it still didn't help the fact that people he worked with, hell, people he still liked, would do that to him.

He let out another sigh. Seeing Beckman's smug face when she finally learned of his capture was a picture he was not looking forward to. However, the thing that hurt the most was realizing that he was never going to see Katie or Ellie again. Even though he was going to be locked away in some CIA prison rather than a secret bunker, he knew that Beckman would never let him have visitors. That would bring him a small amount of comfort and happiness, something he was convinced Beckman tried to deny him ever since he became the Intersect.

After a few minutes, Chuck heard a door slide open to his room, but he kept his eyes staring at the ceiling. He was trying to figure out how many tiles there were. He heard a pair of footsteps approaching him. Suddenly, his vision of the ceiling was blocked by the face of middle aged woman wearing horn rimmed glasses.

"Finally awake, I see." She smiled at him.

Chuck kept his face emotionless and said nothing. He was still staring straight up, his eyes never moving.

"Well, you have a nasty cut just below your hairline that I stitched up, and you may have some broken ribs. But other than that, you should be fine."

Again, Chuck said nothing, but thought, 'Who cares?'

"Well, now that you are awake, you are needed in conference room A." She undid the straps on his arms and legs. Chuck still didn't move. 'Why would they want a meeting? Maybe they think I'll become the Intersect again if they agree to lessen my sentence. Fat chance.'

The truth was he didn't want to see any of them. Sarah, Bryce, Beckman. He'd be happy if he never saw any of them ever again. He decided to just lay on the table. After 30 seconds, he heard a gruff voice say, "You better start moving, or I'll move you myself."

'A threat, how original,' he thought sarcastically. Closing his eyes and swallowing, Chuck sat up. He immediately regretted moving so fast. The nurse lady was right, he probably did have broken ribs. He grimaced as he ambled over to the door.

Chuck wore a smirk on his face all the way to the conference room. He had a two man team, both of whom were carrying assault rifles, escorting him. He really must have made a name for himself while on the run. He also saw a few peoples' heads turn when he walked by, almost as if he was some kind of a celebrity. He also heard some people mutter things as he walked by, but couldn't actually hear what it was. All the attention annoyed him.

His bare feet were starting to get cold on the cement floor when they finally reached their destination. The hulking man to his left knocked on the door. The group waited a few seconds before it was opened by Bryce. Chuck had to hide a look of contempt that threatened to form on his face when he saw his former college buddy. Chuck entered the room, deciding it was best to not really look at anything, so his eyes remained unfocused.

A large rectangular table was all the room housed. It looked like one of those absurd dinner tables where the couples would sit on the ends, farthest away from each other. Chuck decided to occupy one of those seats, seeing as everyone else was sitting at the middle of the table. Beckman and Bennett were on one side, while Casey, Sarah and Bryce were on the other.

Chuck looked at his former teammates. Casey gave him a glance, acknowledging his presence. Bryce had a small grin on his face, which infuriated Chuck. Meanwhile, Sarah stared straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact with Chuck. His gaze then shifted to the other side of the table. Bennett had a curious expression on his face as he looked at Chuck, almost not believing that this was the same Chuck Bartowski he had read about. Beckman was staring daggers at Chuck, eyes burning with fury, which confused Chuck. He was sure she would be glad he was caught and would taunt him about it, but maybe it was the fact that he wasn't dead. 'Yeah, that has to be it,' he told himself.

"Well, now that everyone is here," Beckman started, going back to her papers, "let's talk about last night."

'Really?' Chuck thought, 'That's why I'm here. To discuss the other night.'

As Beckman droned on and on, Chuck started looking around the room. He wasn't planning an escape, it was just something to do to pass the time. Beckman, who it seemed wanted every second of last night accounted for and written about, kept asking question after question.

"Mr. Bartowski, do you have anything to add?" chimed in Bennett.

He was staring straight up at the ceiling when he heard his name. He slowly lowered his head and found five sets of eyes on him.

"What?"

"Never mind," grunted an annoyed Beckman. "Mr. Bartowski, over the past 18 months, you have been a fugitive of the government." Chuck rolled his eyes. "You directly disobeyed orders, operated with no legal power..." Chuck knew he had to cut her off, otherwise it would be an even longer meeting.

"Get to the goddamn point," he said with as much exasperation as he could muster. Beckman's eyes narrowed while Bennett smirked.

"The point," Beckman continued through a clenched jaw, "is that despite all the laws that you've broken, and the fact that you betrayed your country," Chuck's clenched his fists so hard it hurt at that jab, "you are now a free man."

Chuck wasn't sure he heard correctly. He looked over to Bryce and Casey, both of whom gave him looks that indicated it was true. "How?"

"Orion offered himself for your freedom. Since you are no longer the Intersect, you are of no use to us."

Chuck's head dropped. His father gave himself up for Chuck, again. Everything made sense now. That was the plan all along. Having the Intersect out wasn't enough to ensure his freedom. The government had to receive something in return. He cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. Everything made sense now, especially them not telling him. There was no way he would have let his father do this if he'd known about it. Chuck ran a hand through his hair, processing everything. He was free, he had a future, he was going home.

Sensing that Chuck wasn't going to speak anymore, Beckman finished the meeting.

"We will reconvene tomorrow at 0800. We will coordinate efforts to round up all the Fulcrum agents identified by the intel that was gathered."

Chuck's momentary thoughts of his future burst as he thought back to last night. That place was a massacre, orchestrated by FEAR. Judging by what he had heard, the Fulcrum roster was right out in the open, begging to be found. FEAR must be cleaning the house, getting rid of anything or anyone that could tie Fulcrum to them. Chuck cleared his throat. He had to tell them about his flash.

"Umm, yeah, I did manage to flash on something about some organization called FEAR, which Fulcrum was a part of."

He saw Bennett and Beckman exchange knowing glances, but the agents were confused, obviously never having heard of FEAR.

Chuck continued, "It was FEAR who killed everyone there. Fulcrum must have served it's purpose and now they are cleaning up what's left of Fulcrum."

"Well, we'll look into that," Beckman said not looking at Chuck. She continued to the agents. "See you all tomorrow."

Her and Bennett left their seats and proceeded to the door. Beckman never even looked at Chuck while Bennett gave him a once over. He still felt that Chuck could make a valuable operative, what with his ability to hold an Intersect, so he was going to be keeping tabs on him. As the door closed behind the pair, Chuck addressed his former teammates.

"So, you got some forms or something I need to sign before I get outta here?"

"No," Casey answered. "Since you were never 'officially' with the NSA or CIA, there isn't anything to sign. Although by now you should know that certain things need to be kept quiet."

"Yeah, I know the drill. Besides, this is probably one chapter of my life that I'd like to forget." Chuck was about ready to leave when he noticed he was wearing something akin to hospital scrubs. "Hey, where are my clothes and gear?"

"Umm," Bryce started, "hold on, I'll have someone get them."

He got up and left the room, which now housed what once was Team Bartowski. Sarah so far was still avoiding looking at Chuck and Chuck didn't care enough to try and catch her eye. Casey looked back and forth between the two shaking his head. 'Idiots,' he thought to himself.

After a long five minutes, Bryce returned with Chuck's backpack and his clothes for the other night. Chuck immediately took off his shirt, grimacing as he did so. He looked down at his battered ribs, which were bruised heavily, before rubbing a hand over them. Just another injury, nothing more, nothing less. He finished changing in front of the group, all of whom watched him curiously. Chuck normally hated it when people saw him without a shirt and now he was casually changing in front of them like it was nothing.

As Chuck finished tying his shoes, he looked up and saw all eyes on him. They all tried to look away at the same time, resulting in three heads looking at the ceiling. Chuck smiled as he started to dig through his backpack. He pulled everything out and laid it on the table. There were his two 9mm with silencers, his sniper scope, a flash bang, the lock picker, a grenade, his wrist bands with tranq darts, some knives, his Desert Eagle, and a destroyed bullet.

Chuck took the Desert Eagle and stuffed it in his waistband near the small of his back. It was strange how he felt naked without the cold metal pressed into his back. He packed everything up but the 9mm, the lock picker, the tranq darts and the knives.

"Well," Chuck stated as slung the backpack over his shoulder, "looks like I'll be going." He looked at the group.

He went to Casey first and tossed him the bullet that he had pulled from his leg. Casey caught it with a look of surprise on his face. "Thought you might wanna keep that. That is a bullet fired from your gun that I had to pull from my leg. Let the memory of shooting me keep you happy in times of great depression," Chuck finished sentimentally shaking Casey's hand.

Chuck then moved to Bryce. He looked at him for a second before throwing a vicious right hook that connected with Bryce's jaw. Bryce, taken by surprise found himself on his rear end looking up at his friend in shock. "_Consider us even for now,_" Chuck spoke in Klingon. Bryce just grinned and was helped to his feet by Chuck. They shared a hug.

Chuck finally was next to Sarah. She was still avoiding eye contact with him, just looking above his left shoulder. Chuck noticed but didn't care. For the first time in awhile, words failed him with Sarah. He didn't know what to say. So instead of a hug or a kiss, he gave her once last look then simply turned around and walked out of the conference room, out of the CIA facility, out of the spy world.

***

**_First Class, En Route to Paris_**

Agent Weaving was relaxing as he sipped his ice water. FEAR definitely knew how travel, or rather how someone should travel. The stewardess came over to him as he preparing to take a nap, having not slept in almost 24 hours.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Weaving looked at her and his expression became blank for several seconds. He blinked a few times and smiled at her. "Yes?"

"I have a package for you." She handed him a manila folder.

"Thank you," Weaving replied as the woman walked away to try and calm the drunk in the front row who had just ran out liquor.

Weaving opened the envelope and found his new identity. As he stared at his new passport, he began to smile. Things could only get better from here.

***

**_Los Angeles, California CIA Facility_**

Back inside the conference room, the trio are gathering up their belongings, each going through Chuck's strange departure in their mind. Bryce never figured Chuck would hit him, but then again, the man who just left wasn't the same person he knew back in college. Truthfully, Bryce felt like it was deserved and held no ill will. Being the first to pack up his belongings, he left the room first, leaving Casey alone with Sarah. Casey had been intentionally dawdling with his things. He needed to have a chat with Walker and it would be easier once Bryce was gone.

"So," Casey started, "you just gonna let things with Bartowski end like that?"

Sarah let out an angry sigh. It was over. Chuck was going back home where he belonged and she was going back to the CIA where she belonged. Everything was as it was intended.

"Why not? Chuck's got his life back. And besides, it didn't look like he really wanted to say anything to me."

Casey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because your body language oozed that warm, friendly feeling. I think I felt some frost forming on my shoulder while we were standing next to each other," he finished up sarcastically.

"Look, it's done. It's over. Why can't we both just go our separate ways?"

Casey just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. Do what you want. You'll regret it tomorrow, just like I'm sure he's regretting it right now."

With that, Casey left the room. Now Sarah was alone with just her thoughts. The agent side of her was telling her to follow her training. The mission was over. There was no need to contact Chuck. However, the side of her that Chuck had somehow managed to free during their time together screamed at her to find Chuck and work this out. They couldn't end things like this. After all the almosts and maybes, there had to be a better ending.

Sarah quickly gathered up her things and left the facility. For over an hour, she searched all over LA for Chuck. He wasn't at any of his old hangouts, the apartment in Echo Park, Ellie and Awesome's new home, or at the Buy More. When she finally found him, she was kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier. It was the beach where he sat the whole night when he found out he was the Intersect.

She got out of her car and started making her way towards him. He was the lone figure out on the beach, since it was still early in the morning. He was sitting with his arms around his legs, sunglasses on, just staring out into the ocean. He appeared to be in deep thought. Without realizing it, Sarah was standing next to Chuck. She didn't remember her feet carrying her that far, while she watched him.

Chuck didn't say anything, although he knew it was her. It was her smell. He would never forget that about her. She was still standing after a minute, so he decided he finally had to speak.

"You can sit down, you know."

She took a seat next to him. She wanted to lean against him, have him hold her for the first time in what felt like ages, but she took up a position much like his and also stared out into the ocean.

After more silence, Chuck finally spoke. "It's funny. I thought once the Intersect was out I would be happy. But right now, I don't know what I feel. It certainly isn't happiness. Probably more along the lines of apathy." He was more speaking out loud than he was speaking to Sarah.

He shook his head a little. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have just left like that without saying something to you. It's just, what do you say?"

Sarah, never being the one who could always find the right thing to say, simply answered, "I don't know."

More silence.

"So, you must be excited to be able to go home at least. Be part of your family again."

Chuck pondered the thought of a home. "It's just, I don't know how to go home. It sounds weird, I know, but after everything I've done, why would they want me in their lives? I've brought Ellie and Katie nothing but misery. I don't deserve their love or anyone's for that matter."

"Chuck, of course you do. How can you think that you don't?"

"It's what I've become, Sarah. I'm a killer for Christ's sake." He saw her stiffen at his comment. "That's not what I think of you, Sarah."

"If you think that you're a killer, how can you think I'm not one?"

"You're doing a job. You're keeping people safe."

"So were you!"

"Just a side effect of my work. I was doing it for myself, no one else." His head dropped and he mumbled his next words, making it hard for Sarah to hear. "I began to enjoy it. The thrill of a fight, the feel of the gun. It was the only time I felt alive. And after Kristin, I looked forward to it. I wanted it, more and more and more. That's how I'm different from you. I'm sure you don't go into a mission hoping to get into as many scuffles as you can just for the thrill. I had to put these damn sunglasses on in the cab cause I couldn't even stand looking at my own reflection."

"But the fact that you feel this way now, it means your not that same person anymore."

"Aren't I though? My feeling guilty doesn't change who I am or what I've done. I've killed countless sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers. I'm a killer."

"Chuck, those people would have killed you without a second's hesitation. Regardless of what you think of yourself, you were doing good in the world."

"What can be good about taking a life? I know it sounds cliche. They say killing is just a necessary evil of keeping people safe, but it doesn't feel right." He let out a hollow chuckle. "Agent Smith was right, we humans are a virus."

Sarah gave him a strange look.

"From The Matrix." She still had no idea what he was talking about. "It's not important. It's just that, after thousands of years of evolution, the only thing humans as a society have done is learned how to destroy things faster."

Sarah didn't know what else to say to make Chuck not beat himself up over this anymore. She herself had seen a lot of evil in the world and had shared his thoughts about humanity. Sometimes she wondered what was the point. There was always going to be another terrorist, another gun runner, it was never going to stop. But LA had brought her Chuck, who had changed her outlook on life. He had shown her the good in life, friends, family. Chuck's voice brought her from her thoughts.

"I don't blame you for Charlottesville. And you shouldn't blame yourself either."

She was relieved he didn't blame her, but she would always blame herself. She was better than what she had allowed to transpire.

"It was all my fault," he finished.

"Look, Chuck, it wa..."

"Yes, it was," he interrupted. "I should have known better than to get involved with her. I should have stayed away. Isolation seems to suit me best."

"You don't think you deserve to be happy?"

"Maybe before, but not now. Not after everything that's happened."

"So, what? You're just going to go around being miserable?"

"Seems like the easy thing to do. My whole life I've gotten shit on, why should anything change now? Some people are destined for happiness and have tremendous luck. I seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. The epitome of Murphy's Law. Just the way things go I guess."

"So, where does that leave us then?" Sarah asked. Chuck actually turned to her. He never remembered her being so direct about their relationship in all their time together.

"I still love you Sarah." He saw her face brighten, but he pushed forward. "But not like that, I'm not in love with you. But after everything we've been through together, a part of me is going to always love you. I mean, how could it not?"

She smiled at him, but it was a sad smile. In reality, she wasn't sure of her emotions anyway. She wasn't sure if she loved him or not because it had been so long and so much had happened. Knowing that Chuck cared for her made her happy. She could count on him. She could always count him.

"Well," Chuck said, getting to his feet. Sarah followed suit. "Take care Sarah. And if you ever need anything, just let me know." Chuck leaned in. Sarah closed her eyes awaiting the contact of his lips on hers. However, Chuck gave her a kiss on the cheek. With that, Chuck turned around and started walking away.

"Chuck?"

He turned around.

"You do deserve happiness. No matter what you think. I know how good a person you are. You deserve the best."

Chuck smiled at her his big goofy grin. A compliment from Sarah Walker still made him immensely happy and proud. He chuckled a bit as he left the beach. Go figure, it was Sarah who could make him see that maybe things weren't as bad as he thought. He was happy to be going home, and that was okay. 'And she said she's no good with words.'

The End

_A/N 2: I know I left some unanswered questions in there. That's deliberate. Also, Weaving is a new character, not Bryce, just to clarify. I do not know when I'll start the new story. I need a break. These last few chapters felt like a chore, so I need to recharge the batteries before I began again. But it will happen. Thanks again to those who stuck with this until the end._


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